Blood and Thunder
by Shaz1
Summary: At the end of a tough case Danny goes missing, whilst his family investigate can he hold on long enough for them to find him? And what does an investment banker from Minnesota have to do with any of it?
1. Chapter 1

Blood and Thunder

By Shaz

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognisable characters, although I wish I could borrow Danny even if just for a little while! Please don't sue me I will give them back relatively unharmed at the end of my story!

This is my first venture into the Blue Bloods fandom, please be gentle with me, and please review!

Blood and Thunder

"Thanks man" Jeremy Clarke smiled at the store clerk as he handed him his change from the twenty dollar bill he had just used to buy a six pack with, "Say hi to Emily for me" he continued, he went into the store every night on his way home from work, and every day he was served by the friendly husband and wife duo of David and Emily Constantine.

"Will do Jez, she says you're looking too thin" David replied with a smile. Clarke chuckled in response and headed for the door. He lived by himself in a small house a short walk away, he shopped on a day to day basis- he didn't like to admit it to himself, but part of the reason was so that he could at least have a non-work related conversation with another human being. He whistled as he walked along, his coat zipped up as high as it could go and his hat pulled over his ears against the bitter wind that blew directly in his face. At least there was a game on the tv for him to watch when he got home. He had already decided on a couple of beers, a takeout pizza and the game, the perfect way to relax after a hard week at work. Jeremy was an investment banker, he had moved to New York from Minnesota six months ago and he was happy. He enjoyed his new life, he had plenty of colleagues that he was hoping would become friends as he got to know them. He was on good money and had managed to buy his cosy house outright, but he did miss his parents back home in Minnesota. He smiled at the thought- he was thirty two years old and he missed his parents, how sad did that make him? With a shake of his head he quickened his pace and within minutes was walking onto his porch, he was really glad that he had finished work an hour early to just relax.

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"You need a ride to Dad's tonight?" Danny asked his baby brother as he passed him in the hall.

"No thanks, I finally got my car back so I'm good" Jamie replied with a smile, Danny nodded and squeezed his brothers shoulder as he made his way back to his office. The two brothers had never previously been very close, the age gap and very different views had somewhat divided them, yet the recent incident with the blue Templars had brought them closer together. Danny had always loved his little brother and wanted him to safe- but now he actually felt like he was friends with him too, finally the Reagans had reached their even keel. He knew that there would always be the friendly debate around the dinner table, but it was laced with love and affection- and the bickering was simply siblings being siblings. He eased his way down into his chair and picked up the file that his partner had left for him to read through.

"You want the brief version?" Jackie asked him with a smile.

"That'd be good, the words are blurring" Danny replied with a smile. They had just wrapped up another high profile murder case, and pulled long hours- which teamed with takeout food, lack of sleep and the stress of the investigation and NYPD were left with two detectives very close to burnout. Jackie raised her eyes and looked at her friend, he did look shattered- at least when she went home from work she could just have a glass of wine and relax, Danny had a family to look after. She sighed deeply.

"Danny, you look spent- why don't you go home and we can look through this in the morning?" she suggested softly, she knew that her partner was stubborn and hated to admit defeat- but also sure that he would like the chance to spend longer with his beloved boys. He hesitated before replying, his conflict evident in his eyes.

"You sure?" he asked with a shy grin. She nodded with a smile of her own. "Thanks Jackie you're the best! See you bright and early" he continued, grabbing his jacket and leaving the office before she could change her mind.

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Danny smiled as he jumped into his car, just the fact that he had finished early had re-energised the seasoned detective, and he couldn't wait to see his wife Linda and his boys. He had missed his wife for the last month or so as work had kept him away from home. With a smile he parked up and walked into the store, whistling as he walked into the store he picked up the nicest flowers he could see, granted not the best- but it was a convenience store after all and it was the thought that counted. He then picked up a bottle of wine and walked towards the counter.

"Hey Danny, long time no see" the clerk greeted.

"Hi David, how's business?" Danny replied with a smile. He knew most of the staff at the stores around the city, whether it be through stopping off for some food on his way home, or coming to them for information.

"Good man, thanks" he replied with a grin. He liked the NYPD detective, he had been a customer for the last six years on and off and he had always looked after the Constantines. "How is your lovely family?" he asked quietly.

"They are great thanks, not that I have seen them much for the last few weeks!" Danny replied with a roll of the eyes.

"Big case?" the clerk asked with a sympathetic tone.

"You could say that!" Danny replied, handing over some money before leaving, his mind firmly on getting home and seeing his family he walked over to his car and never blinked an eye at the car following him as he drove towards his fathers house for the family meal.

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Jeremy sighed as he cracked open his second beer, he flicked on the TV and bent grabbed his mail from the kitchen counter. He moved over to the couch and flopped bonelessly down, his heart leapt to his throat as he turned his letters over and the top one was written in familiar handwriting. Carefully he eased the envelope open, his mind whirling as he read the words on the paper. _You have had your warning, I am not playing anymore. _Jeremy cursed at the words, over the last month he had been receiving a letter every two days, each slightly more threatening than the last. He had no idea what he was supposed to have done to deserve the threats, he wracked his brains for any mistakes he had made, but couldn't think of anything at all. He knew that at least two cops lived on the same block as him, and he had considered speaking to one of them about it- but he didnt know them well enough. He sighed and took a slug from his bottle to quell his nerves and settled back onto his sofa.

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"Should we wait on Danny?" Erin asked Linda, as she finished setting the table at her father's house.

"We normally calls if he is going to be late" Linda commented softly, her brow furrowed in worry.

"Have you tried to call him?" Frank asked, overhearing the conversation.

"Not yet, I'll call him now" she replied taking her cell from her purse and pressing the speed dial. "Straight to voicemail" she commented. Frank sighed before taking his own cell and dialling a number from heart.

"Hi Jackie, its just Frank. I was just wondering if you knew how long Danny was going to be?" he asked softly.

"Sir he left hours ago, he was exhausted so he finished early" Jackie replied, confused as to where her partner may have got to.

"Okay thank you Jackie, sorry to have bothered you" Frank replied, his own concern now escalating.

"Sir, will you ask him to text me when he does show up?" Jackie requested quietly, now worried for her friend.

"Sure, good night" he ended the call and turned to the women who stood watching him in concern. "He left the office hours ago, Jackie has no idea where he may be" he told them, his heart rate increasing as he thought of what could have happened to his son.

End Chapter One

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Thank you so much for your reviews guys! You really are the best! Thank you for the warm welcome into the fandom of Blue Bloods! Please keep reading and leaving reviews so that I know if I am on the right lines with this! I have never been to New York (although I do keep begging my husband to go- purely in the interest of research obviously!) so please forgive any geographical inaccuracies I have tried to research as much as possible!

Chapter Two

Just as Frank had finished talking to his daughter in law her cell phone began frantically ringing. She answered the call displaying an unfamiliar number with trepidation.

"Hello?" she greeted uncertainly.

"Hello may I speak with Mrs Linda Reagan please?" a stranger's voice asked on the other end of the line.

"Yes, this is she" Linda confirmed, a bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Hello Mrs Reagan, my name is Angela Thomas and I am a nurse at the hospital downtown. Your husband Daniel has just been admitted into the ER and I was wondering if you could come down?" the lady asked.

"Is he ok?" Linda asked, her voice wavering at the thought of her beloved husband injured.

"He has been involved in an accident, I think you should come down" Angela replied, her voice gentle, but carrying a sense of urgency.

"I'll be there as soon as I can" Linda replied, before disconnecting the call. She turned to her husband's family with tears already forming in her eyes. "Dad that was a nurse from the ER at downtown. Danny's been in an accident and I need to go there now" she told him, he stepped forward and took her into his arms.

"We'll all go, Pop can watch the boys" he told her, and she nodded into his chest, pleased that her father in law was always so strong for them. Wordlessly the two women collected their bags, and with a brief explanation to the youngest brother the four piled into Franks car, and with only a couple of words to his driver they were on the way. The journey to the main hospital of Manhattan passed in silence as everyone dwelled on their own concerns and worries. As the car stopped outside of the door to the ER, Linda barely waited for it to stop before she was out and dashing. She walked straight up to the reception desk.

"Excuse me, my husband was brought in about an hour ago? Danny Reagan" she told the orderly behind the desk. He didn't reply, but did begin tapping into the computer in front of him.

"No problem, take a seat over there please and someone will be right out to speak with you" he finally told her with a slight smile.

"Please, can you tell me is he ok?" she asked him, her voice portraying her fear for her husband.

"Sorry ma'am, I am just a receptionist- someone will be with you in a moment" he told her again. She nodded, before moving over to the chaired area that he gestured to. The rest of the Reagan clan sat down wordlessly beside her and Erin placed her arm carefully around her sister in law's shoulders as they eagerly awaited news on Danny. It felt like a life time to the closely knit family, before a nurse finally walked over to them and escorted them into a nearby family room- a fact that increased the fear in all of them.

"Hello Mrs Reagan, I am nurse Thomas, I spoke with you on the phone. Your husband was involved in a two car collision not far from his registered address, he was unconscious since the accident until about five minutes ago when he began to make signs of coming round" the young woman told the anxious family around her.

"Is he ok?" Linda asked, her voice cracking.

"He suffered from some mild convulsions in the ambulance, he also had some bleeding from his ears so at the moment we are investigating the possibility of a fractured skull, and some possible brain injury" she continued, and Linda gasped- she had not been expecting that news at all.

"But he will be ok wont he?" she asked again.

"The fact that he regained consciousness fairly quickly suggests that he stands a good chance of making a full recovery" she replied cautiously.

"Does he have any other injuries?" Frank asked softly, concerned for his eldest son.

"He has three broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder" she responded.

"Can we see him?" Linda asked, desperate to reassure herself that her husband was alive and going to be ok.

"Not at the moment, Daniel is being taken for a CT scan in a moment, we need to check for any brain injury and to confirm the fracture. I will come and get you as soon as he is settled in his room" she told them before getting to her feet and heading out of the room. Just as she left Frank's cell phone began ringing, he answered his blackberry in a clipped tone.

"Reagan"

"Sir, I have just heard about Danny- is he ok?" Baker asked her commissioner over the line.

"We are waiting on news Baker, can you look into what happened and report back to me?" he asked his faithful colleague.

"Sir I have already conducted some enquiries. It was a two car collision and the second vehicle didn't stop" she told him.

"Any witnesses?" he asked softly.

"One, sir it looks as though your son was run off of the road on purpose" she told him in a serious tone.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, his attention fully grabbed.

"Yes sir, the marks on his car are consistent with being rammed, and a witness states that the second car waited for Danny to pull away before it set off" she told him.

"Thanks Baker, based on that can you arrange a protection detail for Danny at the hospital. Keep me up to date with the investigation" he told her, grateful for her assistance- he ended the call.

"Dad?" Jamie questioned softly having heard part of the conversation.

"That was Baker, it looks as though this was deliberate- someone tried to kill my son" he told them, his words laced with anger, worry and every other emotion he could think of. His words hit home with every member of the family. "I need to call Jackie and update her- plus let her know that she might be at risk too" he told them, and with a deep felt sigh he left the room and went outside to make the call.

"Who would want to kill Danny?" Erin asked softly.

"Surely the list is too long to go into" Linda asked, she was all too aware that her husband's job brought him into contact with the darkest members of society imaginable and that it wouldn't be the first time that his life was threatened because of it- it was part of what made Danny, Danny.

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The entire Reagan clan sprang to their feet as the door to the family room eased open, unable to hide their disappointment at seeing Danny's partner before them rather than the anticipated doctor.

"I take it no word?" she guessed at seeing their reaction.

"Not yet Jackie" Frank replied, the detective merely nodded before sitting down and waiting along with the rest of Danny's family.

"You didn't have to come" Linda commented gently.

"My partners hurt, of course I had to come" Jackie replied and the two cops in the room fully understood her reply. Linda simply smiled lightly in response, not surprised by the woman's reply. After a few more minutes the door was once more pushed open and this time it was the doctor that had come to see you.

"Hello I am doctor Child, and I have been taking care of Danny since his admission" he introduced to the family. "He have carried out a series of tests on Danny and we have confirmed that he has a linear fracture to his skull and some mild swelling to his brain" he told them. "He also has three broken ribs and a dislocated left shoulder" he continued. "We have managed to reset his shoulder, although it will be painful for some time" he told them.

"Will he be all right?" Frank asked on behalf of all of them.

"His prognosis is good commissioner" the doctor replied, having recognised both the name and the man himself.

"Can we see him?" Erin asked softly, keen to set eyes on her brother for herself.

"He is just being settled in a room on the critical care unit at the moment, but you can see him shortly" he told them with a smile. He didn't often see close knit families such as this one, and it warmed him to have an amount of good news to tell them. A nurse will come and get you and take you to him he told them softly before leaving. The Reagans breathed a sigh of relief at the news and eagerly waited to visit with their injured member.

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"If you follow me you can see Danny now" Nurse Thomas told the family with a soothing smile, and they all followed her wordlessly. She pushed the door open quietly and allowed them into the darkened room. Linda gasped at the sight of her husband, he was laid flat down on the hospital bed a sheet stopping at waist level, exposing his bruised and battered chest beneath the bandages that covered the broken bones. His left arm was strapped to his chest and his hand had wires coming out beneath the strapping. Monitors were attached to the visible pale skin. His face was what upset his wife the most, the entire left side was a mass of swelling, cuts and bruises- his left eyes swollen shut due to the injury. His head was swathed in bandages protecting it from the damage the accident had caused him. Carefully she took his hand in hers and stroked the back of it with her thumbs.

"Hey Danny" she greeted softly and felt her heart flutter when his right eye gradually blinked open, and as he managed to look at her he squinted against the light, the glare of it like daggers through his brain, causing him to squeeze it shut once more. Wordlessly Frank turned the lights even lower before moving closer once more.

"Try again now son" he whispered, and Danny obliged, blinking furiously to clear blurred vision.

"Linda?" he questioned croakily, his voice not sounding his own.

"I'm right here babe" she assured him, squeezing his hand once more to reassert her presence.

"I can see four of you" he whispered in reply, and Linda laughed in relief that her husband's sense of humour was intact- although she also suspected that he wasn't fully joking.

"I'm not surprised. Lucky that you have a thick head!" she told him, and his attempt at a smile was a weak one, but it was there, and that was what mattered to the family stood around him.

"Danny, do you remember what happened?" Frank asked softly, not wanting to push his son but also very keen to get to the bottom of what had landed him in hospital in the first place. Danny squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to remember.

"Car accident?" he questioned softly, and Frank nodded in reply. "A jeep, it rammed me" Danny stated, his tone picking up slightly, and causing him to gasp and push back into the pillows as the pain lanced through him.

"Easy son" Frank soothed the younger Reagan as he struggled against the pain, his struggles causing more pain to lance through his chest as his broken ribs protested and he struggled to draw breath. "Easy Danny, try and breathe through it, thats it son!" Frank soothed his pain filled son, his own heart breaking as Danny squeezed his eyes against the pain and tears involuntarily streamed down his pale cheek. After a few moments he managed to gather himself together and release the tension of his battered frame.

"Shall I go and get the nurse? Surely she can give him some more pain killers" Erin commented, hating to see her brother in such a clear state of agony.

"No, don't" a weak voice uttered from the bed. "I'm good" he whispered, his voice cracking in his throat.

"You need to rest son" Frank told him, relieved when his brown eyes were once more hidden under his lids and sleep claimed him. "I am going to call Pop and let him know how Danny is, and check on the boys" he told the other occupants, and they all nodded, but none of them looked away from the patient in front of them. He was gone for a matter of minutes before he came back in.

"Are the boys okay?" Linda asked as soon as he returned.

"Both worried sick and upset- it might be an idea for them to see their mom before bed" Frank suggested. Linda looked up sharply at his words.

"I can't leave Danny" she replied, desperately wanting to stay with her husband.

"I know sweetheart, but you have got to think of the boys. You could go back to mine, give them a hug, tell them that their Daddy is ok, tuck them in and still be back in two hours" he reasoned with her. "Danny won't be by himself, my driver is waiting outside for you" he continued when he could see that she was weakening.

"He'll bring me straight back?" she asked, the need to hold her boys convincing her as much as anything that her father in law was saying.

"He'll bring your straight back" he confirmed. With a sigh Linda nodded in agreement. She got to her feet and leant over her husband to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Hang in there Danny, I'll be back soon" she told his sleeping form in a hushed tone before she waved at the other occupants and left the room to check on their kids. Frank sat in her vacated chair, and settled in to hold his vigil over his son. Jamie got to his feet wordlessly, and returned fifteen minutes later carrying a tray of steaming coffees, he handed one to each of them before he sat back down. To Jamie, Danny had always been so strong, so unflappable and so tough that he had thought of him as invincible. He had never seen him look so weak and vulnerable, and it scared the rookie cop. He had already lost one brother, he would be damned if he would lose another one.

"He will be okay Dad won't he?" Jamie asked softly, voicing his concerns. Frank took hold of Danny's hand where it laid limply on the bed beside him.

"Of course he will son, he's a Reagan and he would never leave us" he eventually replied.

End Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Thank you for your wonderful reviews! I am so pleased that you are reading this and seem to be enjoying it! Thank you for checking out Hurt of a Hero as well, and for the reviews on that one! Please keep reading and please leave a review!

Chapter Three

The night passed slowly for the Reagans, sat watching their son, brother and husband sleep a deep healing sleep and praying that he would wake up and be the same old Danny. Jackie had left around about two am, she wanted to get some sleep so she could check on the investigation in the morning. The rest of them watched on, sleeping in fits and starts, their concern for Danny over riding their concern for themselves. At seven am, the subject of their attention began to stir, a groan of pain escaping his lips as awareness came to him.

"Hey Danny" Jamie greeted, Linda was curled up on the sofa catching the first few hours of sleep she had had all night. Danny groaned again as the pounding in his head increased.

"Hey" he finally managed to grind out, Frank silently slipped out of the room intent on hunting down a nurse and not willing to risk his eldest son arguing over it with him.

"How you feeling?" Jamie asked softly.

"Like someone ran over my head with a tank" Danny replied, his eyes still shut. Jamie smiled at the imagery that his brother's comment formed in his mind.

"I am not surprised" an unknown voice entered the conversation. "Hi Danny I'm Dr Child, I did meet you yesterday, but you probably won't remember" the young doctor introduced himself to his patient. "I just need to do a few tests to see how you are progressing ok?" he continued. Danny jerked his head in a weak attempt at a nod. "This will probably feel somewhat uncomfortable I am afraid" he told his patient as he took out a small torch and shone it directly into Danny's right eye. The detective hissed in pain and jerked his head away from the agony. "Aversion to light, ok Danny I just need you to bear it for a few seconds so I can see what your pupils are doing ok?" he asked, and Danny managed to keep still just long enough for him to check the dilation. "Ok, we need to keep a close eye on the swelling to your brain over the next couple of days. You might not feel it, but you were incredibly lucky detective" he told him, before updating the chart and leaving the room. Frank thanked him as he left.

"Hear that son? You were lucky!" Frank commented with a smile as soon as the doctor had left. Danny managed a weak smile, his insides churning with nausea as his vision swam.

"Dad, think I am going to be sick" he managed to grind out, just in time for Jamie to roll him to his side and Frank to place a kidney dish under his mouth. The injured man retched and coughed as bile painfully made it's way up, his battered chest protesting with each movement. Frank rubbed circles on his son's back his heart breaking at seeing him in so much pain, and willing to offer him as much comfort as he was able. When he was sure he was done he eased his son back against the pillows, Danny now looking even paler than he had before. He then carefully spooned some of the nearby ice chips into his mouth.

"How you doing kiddo?" he asked him gently.

"I've been better Danny" replied honestly. "How long am I going to be here for?" he asked quietly. Frank chuckled at the impatience in his tone.

"Danny, you have only been awake for a total of twenty minutes since you were brought here, you can't seriously be asking when you can go home?" Frank asked incredulously. "Danny you have got broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a fractured skull and swelling to your brain and you are wanting to go home?" he asked softly squeezing his son's shoulder.

"You know how I hate hospitals" Danny replied before once more closing his eyes, suddenly exhausted.

"I do son, I do. Now you get some sleep" Frank told him, and stroked his hair back as sleep claimed him.

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"Any update on the investigation?" Frank asked Baker as he wandered into his office. He hadn't wanted to leave the hospital, but Linda was there as was Erin and he would go back after work that night.

"Yes sir, the paint samples taken from Danny's car matches that of a black Jeep Cherokee, aged between 2007 and 2010. I have searched the system for any stolen vehicles matching the description, but it is a negative so far. There are 3290 vehicles of that make and model registered in New York sir" she told him. "Danny's partner is out making enquiries with all the local dealerships, obtaining lists of any bought and sold in the last couple of weeks, she is also visiting garages to see if any have been taken in for repairs sir" Baker continued in her usual professional tone.

"Good work Baker" Frank commented.

"Thank you sir. How is Danny?" she asked.

"Holding his own" he replied, thanking every god he could think of that that was the case.

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Jeremy Clarke smiled to himself as he checked his mail box and found it empty. He was beyond relieved to not have any notes in there waiting for him. He didn't understand what they meant, but he knew it wasn't anything good. Hopefully that would be it now, and he would get no more. He shook his head and grinned at the thought, as if someone would be out to get him- he was just an investment banker from Minnesota.

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The next two days passed in much the same way, a member of the Reagan clan remained with Danny throughout, the others catching snatches of sleep and food before swapping places. Danny slept for most of the first two days, his body needing the energy to heal and repair the battering it had taken. On his fourth day in the hospital he finally woke up without the sickening feeling in his stomach and without the world swimming in front of his eyes.

"Hey Dad" he greeted his father, who was sat beside him reading a newspaper. The story of Danny's accident had run the previous day, a very vague article deliberately reading as such.

"Hey son, you feeling a bit better?" he replied with a relieved smile, for the first time since he had been admitted Danny actually looked relatively alert and wasn't flinching at the light.

"Yeah, wheres Linda?" he asked realising his wife's absence for the first time.

"She has gone to put the boys to bed. She'll be back in the morning" Frank replied. Danny nodded lightly, wincing slightly at the movement.

"Any luck finding the Jeep?" Danny asked, his detective's mind whirling with any information it could find in relation to the accident.

"Baker and Jackie are on it" Frank replied, Danny quirked his eyebrow at that news. "Well it had to be people we could trust didnt it?"

"Yeah I guess so. Have they made any progress?" he asked, unable to help himself.

"Some, but you don't need to worry about that, you just need to concentrate on getting better" Frank admonished his son gently.

"Dad someone tried to kill me, I can't relax until I know who they are and why" he argued back, and Frank struggled to convince him of anything different. "Are Linda and the boys staying at her mom's?" Danny asked as the room filled with silence.

"No Danny she is still at your house" Frank replied. Danny sighed as deeply as his broken ribs would allow.

"You need to tell her to go Dad, she might not be safe" he asked, his voice assertive with worry for his family.

"Okay Danny, when she comes in the morning I will talk to her" Frank offered carefully, not wanting to upset his still poorly son.

"Please Dad will you call her now, please I need to know that she is safe" Danny practically begged his father, he had a feeling in his stomach that she was in danger. He had no idea where the feeling had come from or what it meant- but it caused fear to rush through him and if his father didn't make sure she was ok then Danny would stagger out to her himself if he had to.

"Ok son, I'll call her. You just relax though, I'll be back in a moment" Frank assured his son, worried that if he didn't do as he asked then Danny would drag himself out of bed and go to check on his wife himself- and there was no way that Frank was going to let that happen. He got to his feet and headed into the hall, hitting the speed dial for his daughter in law and waiting patiently for her to answer.

"Hey Dad is Danny ok?" she asked, immediately concerned that her father in law should call her.

"Danny is fine Linda, he's just a bit worried about you. He wants you to go and stay with your Mom" Frank told her, deciding to get straight to the point.

"Why does he want me to go to Moms?" Linda asked in confusion.

"He is worried about you Linda. He wants to make sure that you are out of harm's way. Should I send Jamie round to give you a ride?" Frank offered gently.

"I guess so. I don't want Danny worrying so I guess so" she replied with a sigh. She didn't want to leave their house, but she didn't want Danny wasting energy worrying about her when he should be concentrating on getting himself better.

"I'll call Jamie now, and see you in the morning Linda" Frank signed off, before calling his youngest son to arrange the patrol car to play taxi for the wounded officer's wife. As soon as he had finished he headed straight back to Danny.

"Is she going?" he asked.

"Yes, she is going" Frank replied, and with a relieved smile Danny rested back against the pillows.

"Thanks dad" he muttered as he once more fell into the arms of sleep.

End Chapter Three


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Thank you for the continue reviews- you guys rock!

Chapter Four

"Hey partner!" Jackie greeted as she saw Danny's eyes gently flicker open. Danny managed a weak smile in greeting.

"Hi Jack" he whispered, his voice coarse from the medication and lack of use.

"How ya doing there Reagan?" she asked with a faint grin, unused to seeing her partner looking so young and vulnerable.

"I'm okay, has Dad heard from Linda?" he asked softly.

"Ok huh? I gotta say Danny, I have seen you looking better" she replied, not at all surprised by his assurances that he was okay. "I haven't seen your Dad, Erin was with you when I got here" she informed him, and he looked at her in surprise.

"How long you been here?" he asked her, his voice strengthening as he came round.

"Bout two hours" she replied "watching you sleep was getting pretty boring" she told him smiling.

"Jackie I need you to call my Dad and check on Linda, please?" he asked her, his tone very serious and his eyes locking onto hers with depths of worry she had not seen for some time.

"Hey take it easy Danny, I'll call your Dad" she assured him, and made her way out of the room to make the call.

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"I don't understand it Dad, there's no reply at Danny's house at all and Linda isn't answering her cell" Jamie told his father over the phone. He had been sat outside of his brother's house for forty minutes and he was starting to have a bad feeling.

"Is the car on the drive?" Frank asked softly.

"Yeah, no signs of any struggle or break in at the house though Dad. I have spoken to the neighbours and they said that she came home with the boys as usual and they haven't heard anything unusual since" Jamie continued.

"Okay Jamie, get into the house if you can- see what you can find" Frank told his youngest son, his worry for his daughter in law building- not to mention how he was going to tell his eldest son the latest news.

"Ok Dad- are you going to tell Danny?" Jamie replied softly, concerned for his older brother's state of mind, when he was still recovery from such serious injuries.

"Not until we have something to tell him son" the commissioner replied, his tone grave. Both members of the Reagan clan disconnected the call- and Jamie made his way to his brother's front door, just as an almighty explosion sounded and a flash of blinding light filled the street.

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"Danny I can't reach your Dad, his number is busy" Jackie told her partner softly, just as the doctor came back into his room.

"Hi there detective, I need to do a few more tests to see how that head of yours is doing" he told his patient chirpily.

"Fine" Danny commented abruptly, eager to get the poking and prodding over and done with so he would be able to check on his wife. He hissed as the doctor pressed against the side of his head, causing the pressure within to increase to a pounding.

"Well detective the scans show that the swelling has gone down nicely- the fracture will take time to heal, and unfortunately that is all that we can do with a skull fracture" the doctor told his impatient patient.

"Does that mean that I can get out of here?" Danny asked. Jackie snorted beside him, but refrained from commenting.

"When you can stand up by yourself, when you can manage to eat solids without feeling nauseous, and when you can stay awake for an hour at a time I will consider discharging you" the doctor told him in a tone that left no room for argument. Danny sighed in frustration whilst his partner bit back on the laugh that threatened to escape her.

"Can stay awake" Danny mumbled under his breath sulkily. The doctor chose not to hear the detective's comments, as he continued noting down on the chart he held.

"About a week detective" he commented before leaving the two detectives alone in the room. Danny sighed, fed up with being stuck in the hospital already, frustrated that he couldn't help in the investigation and worried sick about his wife and sons.

"Come on man, you need to heal" Jackie tried to sooth her partner.

"I just need to know Linda is all right Jackie" Danny told her, his eyes filled with tears as he contemplated what could have happened to her.

"I'll try your Dad again" she offered and got to her feet again. She only made it a few steps out of the room before she bumped into the police commissioner himself, one look at his face told her that it was not good news.

"Sir?" she questioned softly.

"Hi Jackie, hows he doing?" Frank asked her quietly.

"Better. Impatient to go home though sir" she told him with a small smile.

"No surprise there"

"Is Linda okay sir?" she asked, unable to bear the suspense.

End Chapter Four

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Thank you for your reviews, sorry that I was extremely cruel and left you with a cliff hanger! Also sorry for the slightly than longer delay between chapters- real life catching up I am afraid! Anyway please keep reading and please review!

Chapter Five

Jackie left the hospital after Frank had updated her on what had happened, her mind whirling with ways to proceed the investigation. She was now even more determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on, for her partner's sake. She shuddered at what could happen if she didn't put an end to things now.

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"How you feeling son?" Frank asked his exhausted looking eldest son. Danny rolled his head tiredly towards his father, his eyes heavy and bloodshot.

"Where's Linda?" Danny asked weakly, his head pounding and his entire body screaming out for rest, but his worry for his wife not allowing him to relax into slumber.

"She's ok Danny, she is safely at her parent;'s house" Frank told him gently as he sat down beside him. Danny breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"And the boys?" he clarified before he could totally relax.

"And the boys" Frank confirmed. Danny rested back lightly, relieved beyond measure that his family were ok.

"Sorry Dad, I just had a feeling, guess I was wrong" Danny told his father, his head resting against the pillows, and his eyes drifting shut as he could finally let himself go. Frank smiled to himself as his son surrendered himself to sleep, the pain lines around his eyes fading as his face relaxed- making him look like the little boy that Frank had nurtured. He squeezed his hand gently, desperate for the contact, the warm skin consoling him that although his son was still poorly at least he was alive.

"No son you weren't wrong, but we'll talk about that when you wake up" he assured his now sleeping son, before he sat himself back in his chair and flicked through the newspaper he had brought with him.

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"You sure that you're ok Jamie?" Erin asked her baby brother softly, she already had one brother in the hospital, and she was currently thanking every god she could imagine that Jamie hadn't joined him.

"Honestly Erin, I am fine! The explosion was half a block away" he exclaimed in reply, grateful for her concern, but also wishing that she would stop mothering him.

"Jamie, it was four houses away, and for a split second you must have thought it was Danny's house" she replied knowingly.

"You're right I did, and all I could think was how I had been too late and I had let Danny down. But thank god it was the house down the street and Linda was safely asleep in bed" he replied. He knew that the incident had shaved ten years from his life. The shock he had felt when the explosion had rocked his world, and it was further compounded by a rudely awakened Linda flying down the stairs at him- as shocked by the events as she was. "Thank god Linda and the boys are ok" he commented to his sister.

"I know Jamie, I know. I don't know what Danny would have done if anything had happened to them" she replied, her face showing the seriousness of her comment. Her brother was very staid and almost cold on the outside- his time in the marine corps had hardened him to the world, but he felt things strongly and sometimes his anger controlled him and he didn't always know how to express things verbally, it wasn't really Danny Reagan, but his heart broke when things affected his family and he would do anything to protect them. "Have they found anything out about the occupants of the other house?" she asked him, trying to piece things together in her mind. "Was the bomb meant for Danny? Or was it a totally unrelated incident?"

"No, apparently the occupant was some investment banker from Minnesota, started work in the city a few months ago. He is as clean as a whistle, nothing at all on him that would lead to him being blown to smithereens" Jamie replied, and Erin winced at the phrasing, thinking how close it had been to her family being hurt. "Jackie is working on it" he told her softly.

"Good, Dad has gone to the hospital to update Danny, I think Gramps is going to visit him later as well" she told the young rookie softly, their grandfather had been getting more and more frustrated at not having visited the injured detective since he had been so badly wounded, and he had told them all that he could take it no more that evening.

"Good, where's Nikki?" he asked her.

"She'll be home in a little while, she has an after school club" she replied, glad that her daughter had more or less been kept out of the situation so far.

"How about we all eat out?" Jamie propositioned with a grin.

"That Jamie is a very good idea, I'll just get my bag and text Nikki" Erin replied with a smile.

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The next time that Danny woke up, both his father and his grandfather were sat beside his bed talking softly. He breathed deeply, his chest tight and uncomfortable, he couldn't help the slight groan that escaped his parched lips, his last dose pain medication seemed like a distant memory. He winced as he realised that he had groaned out loud and rolled his head away from his visitors to collect himself.

"Hey Dan, it's ok, your father has gone to get the doctor" Henry told his grandson softly, his heart breaking at seeing the young man in such pain.

"Want to stay awake" Danny whispered petulantly. Henry chuckled at his stubbornness, and placed his hand lightly on the pale shoulder. Henry stepped slightly to one side as the doctor entered.

"Hello Daniel, I'll just examine you, but first the nurse is going to give you something for the pain" the doctor told him, his voice low out of recognition of the headache that he knew his patient must be suffering from.

"I want to stay awake doc" Danny told the man seriously.

"And you can, the pain meds won't make you sleepy Daniel" he told him honestly, and Danny nodded resigned to losing the argument as the nurse injected some medication into the cannula. The doctor flicked through the chart taking in all of the notations made by the nursing staff throughout the day before adding his own. "On your discharge, do you have someone to take care of you?" the doctor asked him softly, and Danny's eyes sprung open in hope at the question.

"Yeah, I live with my wife" he replied carefully.

"He also has us and his siblings" Frank chipped in.

"Ok, I am keeping you in for another few days for further obs, but after that I don't see why you can't be released into the care of your family with regular check-ups as an outpatient" the doctor told him with a smile.

"Thank you" Danny replied, he had been in hospital for a week and he was going slowly crazy. All he wanted was his family around him and the comfort of his own home. The doctor bid his farewells and then left for the night.

"Danny we need to talk" Frank told his son, and when he could tell he was alert enough he updated him on everything that he had missed. He watched his son carefully, not wanting to cause his son to panic or get upset and risk his recovery at all. Danny managed to remain calm as his father spoke, although his mind was moving at a hundred miles an hour as he tried to think of what the hell was going on. "So as things stand we are looking into whether the explosion on your street was a separate incident, or whether you got hurt instead of this Clarke or vice versa" Frank informed him.

"So either I got hurt cos of something that he did, or he has been killed because of me?" Danny asked, his brow furrowed as he put the pieces together. Frank looked at him sadly as he recognised the guilt in his son's voice.

"Hey Danny, none of this is your fault son" he told his boy honestly.

"Like your father says Dan, you haven't done anything wrong at all so don't go blaming yourself" Henry interjected, hating the thought of his grandson tormenting himself with if, buts and maybes.

"Maybe not, but neither of you know that, none of us do" Danny replied, his voice carrying a range of emotions.

End Chapter Five

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Allison- is this updated quickly enough? Lol! Thank you for reading this and taking the time to review! X

Nyiestra- All will be revealed (eventually!)

Accounting Professional- Again, updated quickly for you!

Runner043- thank you! Please keep reading and reviewing!

Thank you to everybody reading, please take the time to leave a review it really helps!

Chapter Six

Danny looked at the contents of the tray with disdain, it had been sitting there for almost half an hour and he was still yet to touch it.

"It won't get eaten by staring at it" his father commented from beside him.

"I'm not hungry Dad" he replied softly, his stomach churning even at the thought of food.

"Come on son, you heard what the doctor said, you can't get out of here until you are able to eat" Frank continued. He got to his feet and lifted the lid from the tray to look at what it contained. "Danny it is only soup and some bread" he told him, carefully. He was worried about the listlessness that his son was showing, his interest in his recovery lacking and his energy waning.

"Dad please, I am not hungry" Danny reasserted, his head pounding as he spoke.

"Danny I'm worried about you son. I want you to get better and get home to us, for you to be able to go back to Linda and the boys" Frank told him, not opposed to using a little emotional blackmail in order to help his son.

"It's disgusting" Danny commented, gesturing towards the bowl of soup weakly. Frank chuckled at the tone and smiled openly.

"Leave it to me son" he replied, stepping out of the room.

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"Are you sure it is safe?" Linda asked Jackie cautiously, desperate to see her husband, but not wanting to place her beloved sons in any danger.

"Yeah, the guys are in the car in front and the car behind. There is a guard on door and I will be with you the whole time" Jackie replied with a smile. Frank had contacted her a short while ago and she had sprung immediately into action to do as he asked.

"Thanks Jackie" Linda replied with a smile. The journey passed quickly, and Linda had to smile at the boys chatting excitedly in the seats behind them, they had missed their father and despite her telling them constantly that he was getting better and would be home with them soon- they were worried sick about him. Seeing him would do all of them the world of good. She clutched tightly onto the large cup of soup that she had picked up for Danny, hoping that he would behave and manage to consume it. The group made their way through the hospital quickly, keen to see the patient, but Linda didn't relax until she stepped into her husband's room.

"Hey Danny" she greeted, unable to help the tears that welled up in her eyes as she caught sight of him. He still looked pale, and bruised- but he looked so pleased to see her that she instantly knew that Frank had been right. Jackie and the two boys waited outside, and Frank stepped out to join them. "Your father has reliably informed me that you are being stubborn and refusing to eat the offerings that the hospital has given you- so I brought you this" she told him, presenting him with the cup of steaming vegetable soup that she handed him.

"I've missed you" Danny told her, his voice croaking with emotion. "When Dad couldn't contact you I thought..I thought" he told her, unable to complete the sentence and his mind unwilling to let his thoughts drift that way.

"Hey, its okay I'm here and I'm fine" she told him, carefully reaching over to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "Come on Danny, eat your soup" she prompted him and he looked at it as though it was a foreign object unknown to him. "Come on, just try some babe" she asked him. He sighed and nodded slightly, then gestured towards his strapped up shoulder. She smiled at him and perched on the edge of his bed, still holding the cup. She carefully lifted it to his lips and tilted it to allow him to take a sip from it. He swallowed cautiously, knowing how much pain vomiting would cause. When the small amount was able to stay down he took a little more and so the process continued until he had managed half of the cup.

"I'm done" he told his wife softly, unable to take even one more sip.

"You did good" she told him as if she was speaking to a small child. He rolled his eyes at her use of tone.

"Thanks Mom" he told her tongue in cheek. She giggled before reaching over and kissing him softly.

"You need to get better and come home, I miss you" she told him seriously. He nodded in understanding. "Anyway you have some more visitors" she told him getting back to her feet and heading to the door.

"Who?" he asked hesitantly, he didn't really feel up to visitors, he just wanted to spend some more time with his wife. Linda didn't answer, she merely pulled the door open and allowed the boys to run into the room- both of them pulling short at the edge of their father's bed.

"Dad?" Sean asked questioningly. Danny blinked back tears as he looked at his sons stood in front of him watching him- their little faces so full of fear as they took in his appearance.

"Hey boys!" he greeted them, his tone as jovial as possible. "What no hug for your pop?" he asked them teasingly, and instantly relieved when their wobbling bottom lips morphed into radiant smiles and they both clambered onto the bed to visit with their father. Linda smiled, pleased to see her husband looking so alive. The hour that the group stayed for seemed to pass far too quickly for all parties, and before Danny knew it his wife and boys were kissing him goodnight and leaving the room. He closed his eyes against the wave of loss that coursed through him, and when he opened them again his father was once more beside him.

"Dad, go home" Danny told him softly.

"You want me to go?" Frank asked in surprise, Danny shook his head to the negative.

"No, but I think you should" he replied quietly. "Dad you haven't been properly home for four days, you work all day and then come and sit here at night. You go home, I'm fine and just going to go to sleep anyway" Danny told him, not wanting his father to make himself ill for him.

"I think someone should stay with you" Frank protested, not wanting to leave his son alone.

"Dad honestly, I am ok. I just want to sleep and nothing will happen- theres a guard on the door after all" Danny argued. Frank sighed, not fully convinced that it was a good idea to leave his son alone in the hospital, but he really didn't have the energy to argue.

"Fine, I will go home. Under protest" Frank finally responded, knowing that his son was far too stubborn to not argue the point if he didn't. Danny smiled, pleased that his father was seeing reason and going home for a break. "We all love you very much son" Frank commented seriously as he shrugged on his coat, being uncharacteristically open and emotive in his language.

"Thanks Dad, love you too" Danny whispered, touched at his father's words. He closed his eyes as exhaustion overwhelmed him, and merely felt his fathers gentle kiss brush his forehead.

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Linda smiled as she poured herself a glass of wine from her mothers fridge, she was glad that she had seen Danny- and it looked as though he would be discharged in a day or two, which meant he would be back where he belonged, beside her.

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"Take it nice and steady Danny" the nurse urged her patient, as he hesitantly swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was desperate to go home, and in order to do so he had to make it to his feet and to the bathroom by himself. He made it upright and then paused as the world spun around him and he desperately swallowed down on the bile that had risen in his throat. "Easy Danny, just ride it out and breath through it" the pretty nurse advised, correctly recognising what had caused the hesitation. He gathered himself together before sliding carefully from the bed to his feet, his legs almost giving way as his weight was placed on them for the first time in a week. Shakily he took a step forward, his body betraying him by its weakness. It was only three steps to the small bathroom, but to Danny it felt like he had run a marathon. He breathed a sigh of relief as he made it, managed his business and shuffled back to the bed.

"So can I get out of here now?" he asked the nurse as she helped him to ease back into his bed. The beads of sweat on his brow telling the story of how much just that activity had taken out of him. The nurse chuckled at his question.

"I'll speak with the doctor" she promised, before she once more left him to rest.

End Chapter Six

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Wow thanks guys for the reviews! Also thank you to those of you that took to the time to read Drowning, and left reviews, you are amazing!

Chapter Seven

"Hey Dad" Jamie greeted his father in surprise, he had expected his Dad to spend the night at the hospital with Danny, as he had the previous nights.

"Your brother threw me out" Frank retorted in reply.

"What?" Jamie responded incredulously. Frank chuckled at how shocked the young man appeared.

"Well he told me that he thought I should go home and get some sleep" Frank clarified softly with a smile.

"He's probably right" Jamie commented, glad that his brother was forcing their father to get some rest. Frank laughed outright at the comment.

"Don't tell him that" he stated, his voice light. He moved into the kitchen and took out two bottles of beer, handing one to his youngest child. "Hopefully he should be discharged in another day or so" he told him.

"Good, it will be driving him nuts being laid up in hospital" Jamie stated as he took another gulp of beer.

"I thought I would invite him to stay here, just while he heals. Linda and the boys as well" Frank continued. "You can stay for a few days too if you would like to, help keep him in line?" Jamie smiled.

"I'll stay over and help, besides until we get the guy that hurt him the more of us around him the better" Jamie agreed, keen to do his bit to help keep his brother as safe as possible.

"Thank you Jamie, good night" Frank bid to the rookie officer as he finished his beer and headed up the stairs for some much needed sleep.

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Linda allowed herself to flop down onto the sofa, her mother having gone to bed an hour ago. Both boys were sound asleep, happy and excited at seeing their father, and Linda herself wanted nothing more than to just sit back and relax. She sipped at the glass of wine she had poured herself, and flicked through the channels on the television, keeping the volume low. Finally she decided on a chick flick that she had seen many times before, but still made her cry at the end.

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Jackie read through the file in front of her for the hundredth time, her tired eyes struggling to absorb the words that moved on the page. She sighed deeply and got to her feet to fill her coffee cup once more. She loved her partner, they were like family to each other- and no one was going to get away with hurting her family. She rolled her neck, trying to work the kinks out of it, before making her way back to the papers on her desk. She picked up the photographs that were on the top and suppressed a shudder at the thought of what could have become of her partner. Suddenly a flutter of an idea popped into her head, and she frantically flicked through all the papers around her, looking for just the right one to test her new theory. Finally she laid her hands on it and read through it once more, taking as much time as possible to take in the full contents. It confirmed to her what she had pieced together, and suddenly she had a lead.

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Danny rested back into the pillows propped up behind him, encompassed in the quietness of the room, alone for the first time in what felt like forever. He wanted to go home, he hated being apart from his family, and he hated having so much constant solitude even when he had company. He felt drained, but also had a burning need to find out what was going on. Why had someone tried to ram him from the road? Who would go to such lengths to kill him? He tried to think, but his tired and battered brain wouldnt allow him to piece together any of the information. He sighed and carefully reached for the glass of water that was on the cabinet beside his bed, gingerly taking a few sips to sooth his dry throat.

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Frank laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind wouldn't switch off, he couldn't help but feel that his son was in more danger. He sighed deeply, wishing that he had argued with his son and stayed at the hospital. When his first child had been on the way his father in law had sat him down and told him that you never have a connection with another human as strong as that which you have with your child. He had chuckled at the comment at the time, but the moment that he had held his son in his arms his world had changed. It wasn't exclusive to the first born either, the emotions were repeated three more times, and he had never felt such pain as that of one of his children being hurt or upset. When they suffered he felt it to the core, and would die before any harm would come of a child of his- no matter how grown up they were. He remembered when Joe had been ten years old and had been hit by a car, before Frank had known anything about it whatsoever he had been overwhelmed with a sense of dread. It had somehow been a relief when he had heard about Joe- obviously only when he had found that he only had a broken wrist and some bruises. His sixth sense had been on overdrive the day that Joe had been killed, his heart shattering to never fully repair. It was that feeling that he never ever wanted to feel again, and it was the feeling that made him climb back out of bed, get dressed and get in his car to head back to the hospital He had a feeling that he couldn't ignore, a feeling that his son needed him.

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Danny stirred awake, a clatter from outside his door causing him to come round. He blinked to clear his vision and adjust to the darkness around him. As he looked up a figure advanced towards him, moving silently into the room. The man stopped in front of the bed and took in Danny's condition wordlessly, before he smiled.

"Hello Danny" he greeted the shocked man in front of him.

End Chapter Seven


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Sorry for the extremely cruel cliff hanger that I left you all with! Thank you for the reviews, I am truly thrilled that you all seem to be enjoying this!

Liam- you are quite right I am very mean leaving you all hanging like that, hopefully with the quick update you will forgive me J x

Chapter Eight

Frank moved hastily through the halls of the hospital, eager to get to his son and confirm that he was safely resting. He pushed open the door and went straight into his son's room, his heart dropping at what he saw. Sometimes he hated it when he was right.

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Jackie flicked through the papers scattered over her desk, keen to confirm her theory, she was almost certain that she was right and if she was then her partner was in more danger than anyone had known. She was glad that Danny had followed his instinct and made sure that Linda and the boys had been safely stowed at her parents' house. Finding the piece of paper that she had been searching for, she grinned at the information, before reaching for the phone on her desk. Time to ring the MPs and get the rest of the information that she needed.

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Baker hustled out of the commissioner's office to the 12th precinct, Jackie had contacted her some time ago about a new lead she had discovered, and she was keen to assist her detective colleague as much as possible. She had been shocked at the brief update Jackie had provided over the phone, but was professional enough to not let the surprise rule her and just continue with the investigation. She arrived at the precinct less than an hour after she had received the call. She found the fellow detective almost immediately.

"What have we got?" she asked in her brisk business like manner. Jackie smiled and handed her a grainy photograph.

"This is Emile Lopez, 38 years old from Minnesota, he owns a 2008 Jeep Cherokee in black. He apparently had a number of investments using the proceeds of his house sale, practically everything that he owned went into stocks and shares. Anyway long story short they went belly up and he was left penniless" Jackie told the serious blond beside her.

"Let me guess the investment banker was Jeremy Clarke?" Baker asked.

"You got it" Jackie replied with a grin.

"Okay, so there's a motive against Clarke, but where does Danny come into all of this?" Baker asked, sure that there was one.

"Lopez served with Danny in the marine corps, the two were on active service together" Jackie told her. "He was an explosives expert within the Marines, and was pensioned out after his first tour" she continued.

"Why was he pensioned out?" Baker asked, doing the maths in her head as to how old he would have been at that time, and not finding an answer to why he was pensioned.

"He was injured on a routine patrol whilst in Iraq, the same week his brother was killed. Lopez was never the same, according to his file he was admitted to military hospital where he was in for just over a month before being honourably discharged" Jackie stated, her expression serious as she updated the commissioner's right hand woman.

"Why would that cause him to wish Danny any harm?" Baker asked, unable to see any link.

"That is what I am waiting on the MPs to tell me" Jackie replied, her tone showing her impatience.

"Have you updated the commissioner?" Baker asked.

"No, not yet. I wanted your thoughts in case I was barking up the wrong tree" Jackie replied.

"I think you're on to something" Baker replied, impressed with the other woman's investigation to date. "I'll give him a call" she continued, taking her cell phone from her back to update the worried father, leaving a message on his voicemail when he failed to answer.

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Erin headed to the family home as quickly as she could, her father had contacted her fifteen minutes prior, he had sounded absolutely awful and asked her to meet him at the house. Her heart had sunk at the desperate tone to his voice, but he had been unwilling to expand on why he needed to speak to her. She felt a sense of dread overwhelm her, but she did as he bid.

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"Thanks sarge" Jamie gratefully told Renzulli as his mentor dropped him off outside of the family home.

"Hey who am I to argue with the police commissioner?" the seasoned officer replied with a smile. He had grown rather fold of the youngest member of the Reagan clan, and more than that he was fairly certain that he could mould him into a decent cop. He knew that the rookie was deeply worried about his older brother, and whilst Renzulli hadn't always agreed with the detective's tactics he had always liked Danny and hoped that the younger man would pull through his recent ordeal as unscathed as possible. "Hope everything's ok kid" he told him genuinely as the younger man stepped out of the car.

"Thanks sarge, I'll see you tomorrow" he replied, and headed into the house, eager to find out what their father had to tell them.

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"Thank you that is fantastic" Jackie told the military officer on the other end of the phone.

"Update?" Baker questioned as the other woman hung up the receiver.

"You could say that" Curatola replied tiredly, suddenly recognising how absolutely exhausted she felt. "During the patrol that Lopez was injured on, Danny was there. Another marine was blown up in a mortar attack- and Danny dragged him to safety" she told the other detective.

"Why would he hate him for that?" Baker replied confused.

"A medevac was called for the other marine, and moments after it set off Lopez was shot through the leg, it was lodged in the bone and due to the heavy fire no help could get to the unit for quite some time. Lopez nearly bled out, according to the MPs he blamed the rest of the unit for evacuating the other marine. He lost full mobility of the leg permanently" Jackie continued.

"You have got to be kidding me? How can he blame Reagan for that?" Baker asked incredulously, her professional facade slipping for the first time.

"Nope, just to compound matters three days later Danny was taken ill and had to miss a patrol. Another marine went in his place, he was killed in an attack" Jackie told her seriously, knowing Danny how she did, she knew how much he must have beaten himself up over that incident, even though it had in no way been his fault.

"Let me guess the other marine that died was Lopez's brother?" Baker asked piecing things together in her mind.

"Got it in one" Jackie confirmed.

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"Dad call you too?" Jamie questioned his sister as he stepped through the door.

"Yeah, any idea what is going on?" she asked softly, fearful for the urgency in the family meeting.

"No, he wouldn't say over the phone" Jamie replied, equally as confused. After a few moments Henry joined the two siblings.

"Your father not home yet?" he asked them, his features grave.

"No, he called you as well?" Erin asked, her stomach churning.

"Yeah, I am sure he won't be long" Henry replied, just as they all heard the front door being pushed open.

"Dad?" Erin called out.

"I'm here" he replied, walking into the room. He nodded in greeting of the family and walked straight to the decanter pouring himself a large scotch, and taking a large gulp before turning back to his audience. If they hadn't been worried before then they all were after seeing him turn straight to drink.

"Dad what is it?" Erin asked him, her eyes filling with tears in anticipation.

"Guys, I don't really know how to tell you this, but it's Danny. He's gone" he told them, his voice cracking, and all of their worlds ended.

End Chapter Eight

Please review, if you want a quick update


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Liam- sorry, I know I am very mean with the cliffhangers!

Cfhonan- dont worry, all will be revealed! ;-)

Montez- read on and see hehehe

Accounting professional- thank you, glad that you are still enjoying this!

Allison- is this a quick enough update for you?

Seriously thank you to all of you for your reviews, they mean a lot, and definitely make me write quicker (not that I am trying to blackmail you into reviewing or anything.)

Chapter Nine

"What do you mean gone Dad?" Erin asked through the lump in her throat.

"He has been taken from the hospital" Frank replied, his tone grave. "The two guards outside of his room were found unconscious, but the doctors are confident that they will both be okay. Looks like he was taken just ten minutes before I got there" he continued, his voice desperate and loaded with guilt.

"Dad, you can't blame yourself" Jamie consoled his father gently, noting how drawn his father's face was, and how he looked ten years older than when he last seen him.

"I know Jamie, but I should never have left him" the older man replied, his voice cracking with emotion, as he feared what was happening to his son. He wished with all his heart that he had stayed with him, and protected him.

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"Its ok boys, your father is fine. You can see him again in a few days" Linda told her sons softly, struggling to lie to them, but not willing to upset them further by telling them the full truth.

"But Mom, I miss him Sean" told her softly, his face innocent and tearful.

"I know baby, I miss him too- but he needs to get better so that he can come home to us" she replied, hugging them both close to her and taking a small comfort in the contact. She held them for some time before sending them both up to bed with promises of a story in a few minutes. Once they had left the room she took the time to collect herself together for the sake of her children- its what Danny would have wanted. Frank had paid a visit an hour ago, and told her that Danny had been taken from the hospital, she felt her world end in that moment as she was overwhelmed by fear for her already very ill husband. She had wanted to leave there and then to be with the rest of the Reagan family, but Frank had persuaded her otherwise. Frank had left her a short while ago, leaving several guards in place, to tell the rest of the clan, and she felt very alone. She was worried sick for her husband, but she knew in her heart that Frank would do everything in his power to ensure his son's safe return.

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Jackie snapped off the rubber gloves as she had bagged the last exhibit, she couldn't believe that just as they were making progress there was another dip in this roller coaster ride they were all now on. She had been shocked when Frank had called her and told her of the latest development, and she felt sick to think of her partner in the hands of the apparent mad man. She had headed straight to the scene of Danny's kidnapping, eager to assist in any way that she could. There were very few things to progress in the room itself, she could only hope that the hospitals CCTV would provide more information.

"I have put an APB out on the jeep and Lopez" Baker told her softly, knowing how much the missing detective meant to ackie and she could only imagine how she must be feeling at that moment.

"Thanks, I have run a check and there is a list of addresses for us to check" Jackie replied, marching out of the room, determined to not let her exhaustion get the better of her.

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"Ok doctor thank you" Frank stated into his blackberry, having liaised with Danny's doctor to establish exactly what danger his son was in.

"Well what did he say?" Henry asked in concern, keen to know where they stood. Frank rubbed his hands over his face and pinched his nose in frustration.

"He says that were in trouble" Frank replied softly, "if Danny's chest gets knocked his broken rib could splinter and puncture his lung, and if he gets another knock on the head..."Frank stopped, unable to complete the sentence.

"Dad? What will happen if he gets a knock to the head?" Erin asked frantically.

"It could be fatal" Frank finally managed to grind the words out.

"Oh Jesus" Henry cursed, the rest of the family seconding the exclamation.

"Jamie, Jackie is on her way over to update us, I want you to help out, this is your brother we're talking about" Frank told the young rookie seriously.

"Wouldn't have it any other way Dad" the young officer replied. Frank nodded and headed out of the room, his heart thumping in his chest as the fear for his eldest sons welfare increased. "Oh Danny where are you?" he whispered to himself, just wishing he could have an answer.

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Danny frantically swallowed the bile that was rising rapidly in his throat, the world was pitching and tipping- exacerbating the nausea that was threatening to overwhelm him. His head was pounding, and his vision swam as he tried to stay awake. Something within him told him that if he closed his eyes and stepped into the darkness he would never wake again. He drew another painful rattling breath, his chest struggling with the motion with his hands bound behind his back- aggravating his already damaged shoulder. His entire body pulsed pain through him, unable to determine what hurt him the most. This was bad, very bad- and he had no idea how to get out of his current predicament. He didnt know where he was and if Lopez was still with him, or had left him to die. He choked back on a sob at the thought of his family, would he ever see them again? He knew that they would be doing as much as humanly possible to find him, but would that be enough? He couldn't help but feel that this was the end of him.

End Chapter Nine

Please, please, please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Thank you so much for the reviews!

Cfhonan- thank you, it only seemed right that she should be told first and privately so that she could get her head around it!

Montez- I cant make any promises!

Ryans daughter- thank you for the review! His fate is out of my hands and in that of my muse

Accouting professional- dont worry I will continue as long as people are reading and reviewing this!

Allison- thank you! Is this update quick enough?

Liam- Whoops I missed the deadline ;-) thank you for the review!

I also want to say thank you to those of you that have reviewed the second chapter of Drowning, as the comments left there was the whole Linda comfort thing missing, so that is now added and I am so pleased that you seemed to like it! Thank you! x

Chapter Ten

"Jamie, I want you to go with Baker, collate everything that Jackie has gathered and go and get the necessary warrants son" Frank told his youngest, keen that they got moving as quickly as possible. "Erin, can you speak with your office and get the wheels in motion please?" he continued to his daughter. "Jackie, I want you to head upstairs and get some rest" he told his son's loyal partner, she opened her mouth instantly to protest having only just arrived and briefed the others up. "Jackie I mean it, you have not stopped for days and you won't be any help to Danny if you run yourself into the ground. So please go and get a couple of hours sleep and then you will be more help to everyone. I will wake you if there are any developments, you have my word" he promised, she sighed before surrendering.

"Fine. Which room?" she asked, her tone clipped as she was forced into the rest. Frank smiled, he had always rated Curatola as a detective, but he could see now why she worked so well with his son as well.

"Pop will show you up" he told her with a smile, she nodded before following the eldest member of the clan up the stairs. Despite her worry she was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

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It didn't take long for Jamie to obtain all of the necessary warrants, especially with Baker's quiet unassuming guidance, and before the rookie knew it they were all reconvening at the precinct. Frank had placed several calls with a group of trusted personnel and they all met for a briefing at the 12th Precinct, he had woken Jackie as promised, and whilst she still looked tired she no longer looked as if she was about to drop with exhaustion.

"We need to hit each of these addresses simultaneously. Jackie, you are to lead team one- this is for 1187 West End Avenue, this is the registered address of Lopez's last known partner. Detective Curatola has prepared an intel pack in relation to the address and will brief you all accordingly. Davis, Barker, Turner, White, and Reid- you are all with Jackie" he told them, his tone portraying no emotion as he slipped into professional mode. A chorus of "Sirs" acknowledged his instruction, he then turned to the next group. "Detective Baker, you are to lead team two. Your address is 1173 Christopher Street, this is a warehouse complex that Lopez hired when he arrived in New York, it is currently vacant. Melissa will brief the team which consists of Thomas, Coleman, Wood, Potter, and Caffrey" he told them. He briefed the third team in much the same manner- placing one of his most trusted detectives in charge with a nod acknowledging the magnitude of the task. He then turned to the remaining members of the group. "The rest of you will hit 1782 Varick Street, this is the address the policy for the Jeep comes down to. Jamie, you will lead this team" he told his youngest son- meeting his gaze without hesitation. Jamie merely nodded, pleased that he had something constructive to do to assist in finding his brother. Frank turned to the assembled group "I cannot express strongly enough, how important this task is. Each address will be hit at exactly 15:30hrs, full PPE is to be worn by all officers, and you must remain contactable to confirm the strike" he told them all. He took one last glance before nodding his head. "Good luck" he told them, and he meant it more than any words he had ever uttered.

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Jamie took a number of deep breaths as he got into the car, this was the assignment of a life time and he would have felt a shiver of excitement if it weren't for the fact that his brother was the victim, and his life was possibly in Jamie's hands. The faith that his dad was placing in him was immeasurable, and he prayed that he didn't let him down. He had briefed his team, and not one of them had grumbled at the rookie being the team leader- they were no strangers to the Reagan clan and knew full well how they stuck together and rallied around each other in times of need. He would not let his brother down, he would die first.

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Jackie checked the magazine in her side arm for the hundredth time, nothing was going to go wrong, she couldn't afford for it to. She fastened her vest around her waist and rotated her shoulders to ensure it didn't restrict her movement. She had briefed her team, they were a good set of guys- but now all they could do was wait. She hated waiting, especially when the stakes were so high, but there was nothing else that she could do. "Hold on Danny, we're coming" she whispered to her partner, praying that on some level he would know.

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Baker carefully placed the equipment into the trunk of the car. Her task was set, although she rarely made it out onto field assignments given her role as assistant to the commissioner, she did enjoy and thrive on the action. She only wished that it could be under better circumstances. He calm facade was covering her fear that they would be too late, or not find the missing detective. She couldn't afford to let her mind wander in such a fashion, she had a job to do and she was sure as hell going to get the job done.

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Frank surveyed the room around him, good people. Good officers that would hopefully bring his son home safely to him, and ensure that Lopez faced the justice that he deserved. He was exhausted, yet he knew he wouldn't be able to close his eyes until his son was safe. He couldn't bear the thought of losing another child, he loved each of them unconditionally and a piece of him died every time any of them was threatened with harm. He would get Danny back safely, he just had to keep believing it.

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This was when Erin hated being in the DAs office, she knew just enough about police work to realise how much danger her brother was in, but was removed from the front line so could do little to help him be returned to safety. It was killing her, but she knew that her role would be utilised when Lopez was brought in to custody, and she would do everything in her power to make sure that he would pay.

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Danny could feel his energy draining away from him, and he had little left to fight it. His whole body was numb, and his mind was struggling to focus on anything. He couldn't feel his hands where they were bound so tightly behind him, and his mouth tasted of copper. He could feel tendrils of darkness taking hold of him and dragging him down, and he could do little to stop it. He had lost all concept of time and couldn't fathom how long he had been tied as he was or how long since Lopez had thrown him down the stairs. He felt an overwhelming sense of dread and fear that he would never see his family again. Visions of Linda laughing as she opened Christmas presents, the boys playing on the park- not having a care in the World, his father pouring him a scotch and lighting his cigar, Jamie working on Joe's car- taking tender care over every bolt and Erin chuckling as they debated their latest case. Each image flashed through his mind, forcing a flurry of emotions to flutter through his heart, before finally he could take no more and his eyes drifted shut and darkness engulfed him.

End Chapter Ten

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Thank you so much for all of the reviews for the last chapter! There will be more action in this chapter! I have posted the first chapter of my next story, just to tease you! This one is going to remain my priority so don't panic!

Chapter Eleven

The teams were within half a mile of each of their assignments. Jamie looked at his watch nervously, 15:22hrs- only eight more minutes and then hopefully they would have Danny back. He looked around him and mentally ticked off everything that they needed for the strike. They were ready, he would not let anyone down.

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Frank looked at his watch for the hundredth time, determined that this operation would be conducted without a hitch. It was imperative that each address was hit at exactly the same time to preserve all possible evidence. He had to get his son back safely, he couldn't think of what would happen if they didn't. He picked up the transmitter that was linked to all of the ear pieces worn by all of the handpicked teams. Looking again at his watch he pressed the transmit button and taking one last breath calmly stated "Strike, strike, strike". He offered up a silent prayer as four doors were forced at once.

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"NYPD, down on the ground, get down" five voices chorused at once, guns drawn and officers running into the premises, each occupant was cuffed and moved into one room. Jamie checked each person in front of them, none of them matching the photograph he had seen of Lopez. He stepped over to the group of detained males, whilst the rest of his team searched the building, checking for any hidden hatches, doorways or cellar space. Jamie looked each of the men in the eye.

"Where's Lopez?" he asked the one that dared to stare back. The man in front of him shrugged.

"Never heard of him" he replied, staring straight back at the officer in front of him. Jamie could feel his anger bubbling within him.

"Where is Lopez?" he asked again, his tone threatening, as his desperation to find his brother grew even further.

"Never heard of him" the man repeated, Jamie stepped forward and took hold of him by the shoulder.

"is that right?" he hissed at him, "Well how come there is mail addressed to him on the mat?" he asked, his tone leaving no room for argument and his eyes locked onto those of the detainee. The man looked away for the first time since Jamie had engaged him in conversation.

"I can't tell you he'll kill me" he finally replied softly. Jamie tilted his head to the side, and removed the safety from his gun.

"You don't tell me, and I'll kill you" he replied, in a tone and an action that would have made his older brother proud.

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Jackie cursed as she cast her glance again around the empty premises, nothing, nada, zip to go on. She instructed the rest of the team to conduct the search, hoping that they would at least find something that would help them to find a clue as to Danny's whereabouts.

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The CSIs arrived a mere ten minutes after Baker had requested them; there had been no one in at the warehouse, however there were a lot of footprints, tracks and fibres. The most worrying thing however had been the pool of blood that she had found, and she knew it belonged to the missing detective without it even being tested.

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Frank resisted the urge to punch the wall in frustration. All three addresses had been searched with a fine tooth comb, and there was very little in the way of leads. He straightened up and stretched his back, just as his blackberry rang.

"Hey Jamie" he greeted, no sense in bringing his son down, he knew he must already be feeling as frustrated as he was himself.

"Hey Dad, I got an address from one of the occupants here" Jamie told him, deliberately vague as to how he had got the information. "Lopez used to own a boat that was stored along the river" Jamie continued, before reeling off the address that he had managed to obtain.

"Good work Jamie" Frank told his son, more proud of him in that moment than ever before. He felt a slight relief that maybe there was a lead after all.

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Danny was wrenched rudely awake by a hand clutching his around the neck and dragging him to his feet. He blinked to clear his clouding vision and attempted to look around him. His chest felt ready to explode and his head felt as though it was no longer attached to his neck- every breath took more effort that he was capable of. He knew that he was moving, but he had no idea how.

"Lopez?" he questioned, his voice a mere croak.

"Nice of you to join us Daniel" the former marine replied with a chuckle. "It appears that the rest of your family are almost as annoying as you are- busting into my friend's homes" he told the detective as he dragged him away. Danny smiled lightly to himself, he knew that his family would be looking for him, but hearing it confirmed did make him feel a bit more positive that there might just be a way out of this for him. He didn't reply, for once being sensible and not wanting to provoke the clearly deranged man. "You see when you left me with my leg half blown off, I knew then that you were a piece of shit- but when you got my kid brother killed, well Danny that is a whole new low" Lopez snarled at the detective, moving to face him. "I hope that you are suffering Danny, like I have had to suffer, you see I am going to make you pay and make you suffer just like you made me. How is your little brother Reagan?" he whispered, a demonic grin forming on his face before he drew his fist back and punched the other man hard to the face, leaving him to slump down onto the floor- his air coming out of him in a rush.

"Jamie" Danny whispered, just as he once more slipped into unconsciousness.

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"Jamie head on over to the dock, Jackie will meet you there with her team" Frank told his youngest son softly. Jamie agreed and headed straight across to meet his colleagues. Decision made Frank shrugged on his coat, summoned a car and headed out himself, determined to ensure both sons made it home safely.

End Chapter Eleven

Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Thank you for all of the reviews! Since I have already started on the sequel so I need to keep posting regularly, but obviously that will only happen if I keep getting reviews! (Hint hint….)

Chapter Twelve

Jamie stood tapping his foot, waiting for his father to arrive. He just wanted to go and get his brother back and let life go back to normal without the constant worry and desperation. He didn't have to wait long before Frank arrived, his gun already loaded and in his hand ready to do what needed to be done. He nodded at the assembled troops and within five minutes they were heading to take the storage yard.

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"Jamie" Danny whispered as he tilted his head as much as he was able to away from the light. He looked around and saw Lopez near to a window, positioning what appeared to be a M40 sniper rifle on the window ledge. Danny's eyes widened as his fuzzy mind began to piece together everything that had happened and the words Lopez had taunted him with, there was no way on earth Lopez was going to harm one hair on his brother's head- if it was the last thing that he were to do he would make sure that no harm came to Jamie.

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The teams of officers filed to their entry points, Jamie and Jackie were at the front door and Frank and Baker were at the rear- back up joined them, and wordlessly they entered the premises, guns drawn and determination on their faces.

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Linda stood staring out of the window, the room in silence. Her hand was to her face her nails bitten to the quick. She couldn't imagine life without her Danny, he completed her. They had had their ups and downs throughout their marriage- but neither of them had ever doubted the other's love and commitment for each other. If he was taken away from her, part of her would die. She shook her head to stop her train of thought, Danny would fight- he always would- he would never leave her if there was anything at all he could do about it. His family meant everything to him- she just had to hold on that belief, and pray.

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Henry looked into the depths of the tumbler of whiskey that he was holding, sometimes he hated being retired, he wanted to be out there- helping in finding his grandson, even if it was just to support Frank, he wished he could be there. He couldn't stand waiting, he had never been a patient man- but when his own family were concerned he couldn't cope with it. He knew that Linda was in the other room, and he wanted desperately to support her- yet he had no words of comfort for her, for he was terrified himself.

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"That's it little piggies, you can thank your hero brother for this" Lopez hissed to himself as he calibrated the sight and positioned in for the perfect shot. Danny looked around desperately trying to find anything that could help him against his mad man of a captor. Lopez was about eight feet away but it may as well have been a mile for all the chance that Danny had of getting to him. He shuffled forward and a raging pain shot through his abdomen, causing him to gasp in shock. Lopez turned at the sound, and seeing the pain that the detective had caused himself chuckled. "Just give it up Reagan, you're as good as dead- so is your baby brother" he told the man writhing in agony. Danny was biting down on his lip so hard that he could taste the blood in his mouth. Lopez turned back to his task in hand, smiling to himself at how things were going to plan.

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"Nothing here either" Jamie told his father sadly, the two generations of Reagans stood just in front of the main entrance near to the river.

"CSI on their way?" Frank asked quietly, at a loss of where else to go after hitting dead end after dead end.

"Yeah, should be here in ten" Jamie replied, his tone more defeated than he had intended, but reflected his feelings.

"We'll find him son" Frank assured his youngest, and raised his hand to squeeze his shoulder- just as he completed the action the World turned to madness.

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"One more second, just one more second" Lopez muttered to himself, and Danny could take no more, there was no way he could sit there whilst Lopez killed his little brother. With a monumental effort and a push through the gut wrenching agony Danny launched himself, half on his feet and half on the ground at the former marine, his injured shoulder impacting with the rib cage of the other man. Totally unprepared for the attack Lopez's finger squeezed the trigger setting off a round that Danny prayed had gone wild. He fell to the floor in a heap, taking Lopez down with him, and used all of his weight to pin his captor to the floor, hoping that someone had heard the shot and moved to cover.

"Reagan, that was stupid, very stupid" he told him, his face reddening in anger and a vein popping in his neck. He pushed the detective to the floor and pulled a control pad out of his pocket. "I was going to do things the easy way, but clearly you prefer to go messy" he retorted to the injured man, pressing one button and the entire neighbourhood rocked with an explosion.

End Chapter Twelve

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Okay on a scale of one to ten how cruel was I leaving you hanging like that with the last chapter? I am deeply sorry and will make it up to you with this quickly updated chapter! Thank you to the loyal reviewers that are literally reviewing every chapter- you guys really are the best!

Chapter Thirteen

"What the hell was that?" Henry asked out loud, having heard an almighty bang, muffled enough to know that it was a fair distance away- but loud enough to know that it was a hell of an explosion.

"Henry?" Linda questioned, her tone betraying her fear, as the two of them each out two and two together and unknowingly came up with four.

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Frank coughed, desperate to clear the dust that was choking him from his lungs, after a few moments of hacking racking his tall frame he was able to draw a breath. He looked around him, the entire building that they had previously been searching was collapsed around them, and he thanked their lucky stars that the explosion hadn't gone off just a few moments earlier. Realisation dawning on him he looked around, frantically searching for his youngest son who had been stood next to him just as there had been a crack of gunfire and then the explosion. He breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the rookie standing not too far from him, rubbing his hands through his hair and looking around the devastation that surrounded them. The younger man looked up and his eyes locked onto those of his father, instantly reassured that he was okay. Frank pushed some debris carefully to the side and began moving towards his son.

"You ok son?" he asked softly.

"Yeah Dad, you?" he replied.

"Think I will be coughing dust up for the next month, but I'm fine" he assured him. The two were covered in cuts and bruises and had no doubt that they would be incredibly sore in the next few days, but they were incredibly lucky. "Okay we need to start doing a role call, see who we have and who is missing" Frank told his son, not liking the task- hell it was never good when it was the safety of your own guys, but it had to be done. Jamie nodded, acknowledging the necessity of the task. He turned and began locating members of his team, beyond pleased to discover that they were all safe and accounted for. Frank stepped outside, and taking out his blackberry began organising the scene and requesting medical personnel. He was just hanging up when he saw a flicker of movement in the second floor window of the warehouse opposite where they stood. He paused for a moment to think, working out possible trajectories in his mind, and not liking the answer.

"Jamie" he called softly, and the younger man was by his side in an instant. "I think we may have found Lopez. The angle of the shot would fit" Frank told the rookie quietly, registering the broken window that the round had struck.

"I'll go and get some others" Jamie told his father, Frank shook his head.

"No Jamie, this is Reagan business, let's go" he told him with a steel in his eye that was only ever displayed when it was family at stake. Silently the two stepped into the intact doorway of the building, it had not fared much better than the other warehouse, but Frank was certain that this place held the answers that they had been looking for.

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Baker groaned as she regained consciousness slowly, maybe active service wasn't all it was cracked up to be. She raised her hand to her head, regretting it instantly as it caused the pounding to increase. She swallowed and took several deep breaths in attempts to control the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. When she was as sure as she could be that she wouldn't throw up, she attempted to sit up. She was proud of herself for making it into a seated position, and tasked herself with assessing her own injuries. Definitely a concussion, there was no doubt. All arms and legs were attached and moveable- so bruised but no breaks. She could breathe uninhibited so no broken ribs- all in all a very lucky lady. Making a concerted effort she dragged herself to her feet, swaying dangerously, but managing to stay upright. She blinked to clear her swimming vision, and then concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, which is how she found Jackie Curatola laid flat out on the debris ridden floor starring straight up at her.

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As they carefully wound their way up the rickety staircase Frank processed all of the information to date, he had calculated where to go at the top of the stairs to reach the room that he was sure that the sniper had to have been stationed in. He gestured for Jamie to proceed him, and they each took up position at the top of the stairs on the first floor, together they systematically cleared the floor rooms on the floor, there was nothing to suggest that they had even recently been in use. Silently the two Reagans moved to the staircase and carefully made their way up to their destination, each focussed on the task at hand. Finding Danny.

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"Hey" Melissa greeted the other detective, as if they had bumped into each other in Starbucks.

"Hi" Jackie replied croakily. Baker looked her over, she had a nice cut to her forehead and appeared to be clutching her left wrist, but other than that she didn't appear to be too badly injured.

"You planning on laying all day when there is work to be done?" Baker asked her with a ghost of a smile. Jackie returned the gesture.

"Was just building up to getting to my feet" she replied, she was not looking forward to the pain she knew that movement would induce.

"No time like the present" Melissa replied, and before the other detective could argue she had grabbed her uninjured arm and hoisted her to her feet.

"Thanks" Jackie murmured, when her world had stopped spinning enough to allow words.

"Want to get out of here?" Baker asked her softly.

"Hell yeah" Jackie replied, already limping out of the remains of the building, she looked up to see two generations of Reagans passing a first floor window in the building opposite. She nudged Baker and pointed silently. With a nod both female detectives were heading into the building, intent on backing up their friends.

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Wordlessly father and son, approached the target room, the door was swinging open, so a stealth entry was possible. Frank stepped in first, his gun clenched in his fist and scanning the room, Jamie followed his father's lead. The two moved through the dusty room silently.

"You did this! You did all of this" Lopez hissed to his captive, who laid unmoving on the floor. Lopez clutched him round the neck, shaking him to assert his words. "Danny Reagan the hero! Cop killer now ain't ya! You have to always ruin everything you bastard don't you!" he yelled, his voice getting louder as his anger built, he stepped back and drew his handgun from his waist band. "Well it ends now" he whispered, taken aim at the man on the floor.

"Drop it Lopez" Frank shouted, and Lopez jumped in shock, the gun not moving from Danny.

"Just in time to watch commissioner" he sneered. He never got to say anything else as simultaneously four guns were fired, and four rounds hit their target. Frank turned round in surprise, yet somehow realised that he shouldn't have been. Baker was like family to him- loyal to the last, and Jackie loved Danny like a brother there was no way that these two would have been anywhere else. Jamie didn't even glance up at the two detectives, his attention was focussed solely on his brother, he practically ran across to the downed man, and knelt beside him, frantically checking him for new injuries.

"Dad" he yelled to get the older man's attention. "Dad he's not breathing"

End Chapter Thirteen


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Liam- Don't worry you will find out about Lopez shortly.

Nyiestra- I know and I am sorry! Does the quick update make it up to you?

Ryans daughter- hope you enjoy the update!

Montez- Sorry I know I am awful heh!

Cfhonan- glad that you didn't expect it!

Allison- I hope that this is quick enough for you!

Thank you all so much for your reviews! Please keep them coming for me!

Chapter Fourteen

"Get us some help in here!" Frank barked over his shoulder, already moving towards his sons. Baker didn't hesitate as she moved down the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her. Frank knelt beside his son, and placed his fingers against Danny's throat beyond relieved to find a thread pulse beating below. He tilted his head back and checked his mouth for any obstruction, only then noticing all of the bruising around his son's neck. "Son of a bitch" he muttered. "I think his throat is too swollen for his to breathe" he told Jamie softly, alarmed at seeing Danny's lips turning blue.

"Let me through" a man shouted as he all but pushed Frank out of the way, followed by two other men in EMT uniforms. "He needs a Tracheotomy" the man told them, and seeing the concern on Frank's face he continued "It's ok, I'm a doctor" he assured the other man. Without further words, and limited communication between the medical team the doctor was making an incision in Danny's neck and Frank was holding his own breath. After a mere few moments a tube was in his son's neck and a bag was attached- forcing air into the injured man's lungs. The doctor put a stethoscope to the detective's chest and frowned at the rasping sound coming from his lung. "He's got a Pneumothorax" he told his colleagues with a sigh. "Let's get him to the bus" he told the EMTs, and the three transferred the injured man onto a back board, taking care of the tube in his neck, he was then placed in a gurney and carefully carried down the stairs before being gently placed into the back of the ambulance. Frank followed anxiously behind. The doors were shut on him whilst the medical staff carried out life saving procedures on his son, and all he could do was wait.

"How is he sir?" Baker asked softly.

"I don't know" he replied truthfully, exhaustion overwhelming him as he thought of all of the events of the last couple of weeks.

"NYFD are starting the clear up, all of our guys are accounted for sir. No major injuries" she told him, hoping to at least reassure him that there was one less thing for him to worry about.

"Thank god for that" he replied, glad that none of their fine men or women had been hurt as a result of Lopez's quest for revenge, he just wished that he could say the same for his son.

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Frank drove behind the ambulance, he and Jamie had left as soon as the EMTs had been ready to set off. He had left the scene in Baker's capable hands, Jackie was assisting her and then both women had been instructed to ensure they received the medical treatment that they also required.

"Will he be ok Dad?" Jamie asked softly, he had never been as scared in his life as finding his brother like that, bruised, bloodied, unconscious and not breathing- he knew it was an image that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I don't know son, I know that he will fight as hard as he can, I just pray that is enough" Frank replied, his eyes focussed on the road ahead, in an attempt to prevent his emotions from consuming him.

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"Dad, where is he?" Linda asked as she jogged up to her father in law, frantic to see her husband.

"He's in surgery" he replied tiredly.

"What happened?" she asked as she sat next to him.

"We're not sure until Danny can tell us" Frank replied. "It looks as though Lopez had a sniper set up, although we don't know who the target was. Something happened that changed his plan, and he blew up the warehouse" he told her. "That is pretty much as much as we know" he finished.

"What did he do to Danny?" she asked him fearfully.

"The doctors say that he was beaten" Frank told her softly, taking hold of her hand before he continued. "He also tried to strangle him, causing his larynx to swell so that he couldn't breathe for himself" he told her, pulling her into his arms when her tears overwhelmed her.

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The three Reagans were waiting for what felt like an age before the doctors finally came into the room to speak with them.

"Well Danny has got through surgery ok" he started much to their relief. "There was extensive internal damage that took a while to repair. We had to remove his spleen, as it was too badly damaged to save. He also has a bruised kidney, the punctured lung, he had re broken his ribs, there is some muscle damage around his shoulder and his Larynx is swollen and bruised" he told them.

"Can he breathe by himself now?" Frank asked softly.

"Not at the moment, he is still on the respirator and is sedated to prevent him from becoming distressed and attempting to fight it" he answered honestly.

"Can we see him?" Linda asked hopefully.

"Of course, he is just getting settled in recovery and then one of the nurses will come and get you" he told her with a reassuring smile. As he left the room Linda allowed her head to drop into her hands, lost for anything to say. Frank knew there were no words he could offer so he did was hold her. Jamie excused himself, suddenly desperate for some fresh air- he left the room and walked straight out of the doors. Frank looked up in concern for his youngest child, but he knew that at that moment Linda needed him more. They remained like that for the whole of the five minutes that it took for a nurse to come back for them. Silently they followed her, scared as to how Danny would look, but also eager to see him alive and recovering. She took a deep nerve steadying breath before stepping into the room, her heart breaking at what she saw. If she had thought he had looked bad when he was first admitted after the car crash, then what she saw now was a whole new level. Her beloved husband lay completely flat on the gurney, his face bruised and swollen, a tube in his neck attached to a machine that was breathing for him, and his chest a mass of bandages. Even his hands and wrists were covered in cuts and bruises.

"He looks so small" Linda whispered, unused to seeing her husband looking so vulnerable.

"Don't let him hear you say that" Frank replied, squeezing her hand and encouraging her to sit down on the chair beside the bed. She eased herself down gently, and took hold of Danny's hand, there was nothing she could do but be there for him when he woke up.

End Chapter Fourteen

See no cliffhanger! Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

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Chapter Fifteen

Linda sat beside Danny's bed for thirty hours straight, she only left when her bladder forced her to. Frank remained with her for as long as he was able, before work duties forced him to leave. Jamie kept her stocked with a supply of coffee and sandwiches and maintained his own silent vigil of his elder brother. He loved Danny, sure they rarely said it to each other, but he respected him more than he could ever show. He was proud of the marine, the detective, the husband and the cop- and if he could develop into half the man he would be happy. Jamie was at a loss for what to do, he had been granted leave based on his current family situation, but he didn't know how to help his family at the moment- the only thing that would help them was for Danny to wake up and be okay, and that was out of his power. He got to his feet and headed out again for a walk to clear the cob webs from his muddled brain. Linda smiled weakly at him as he walked past. A few moments after he left the doctor came into the room.

"Hello Mrs Reagan" he greeted softly, flicking through his patient's chart.

"How is he?" Linda asked nervously, terrified that anything would snatch her husband away after she had just got him back.

"He is stable, I am going to start weaning him off of the sedation today" he told her with a smile.

"When will he wake up?" she asked.

"Hopefully by this evening" he replied. "He will obviously be disorientated and confused, but hopefully there will be minimal damage"

"When will we know?" she asked again cautiously.

"We won't know until he has woken up" he stated, before offering her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and leaving the room, nearly colliding with Erin on her way in.

"Sorry" he muttered flashing her a killer smile, and if it hadn't of been for the circumstances she may have been interested.

"How's he doing?" she asked Linda as she sat down beside her, and looked over her brother with a concerned gaze. The two had also bickered, and had very different views on the criminal justice system- but they were always there for each other and they loved each immensely.

"They're hoping he'll wake up tonight" Linda replied.

"Good" Erin commented before turning a critical glance over her sister in law. "Have you had any sleep at all?" she asked her gently.

"No, I didn't want to leave him" Linda replied sheepishly. Erin smiled, she could understand that, if it hadn't of been for her having to look after Nicky and the boys she would have been camping out at the hospital herself.

"Why don't you curl up on the sofa and try and nap for a while?" the attorney suggested pointing at the sofa in the corner of the room. "I'll stay I promise" she continued. Linda smiled, and almost protested, then a yawn betrayed her and she had little option other than to reluctantly agree. She squeezed her husband's hand gently, and kissed his forehead before she toed her shoes off and curled up on the sofa, closing her eyes and instantly drifting off to sleep.

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"Sir, all of the wounded officers have now been discharged from the hospital, three are back on full duties already, four are back on desk duties and two are likely to be off for a month or so" Baker told her boss calmly reciting the list. She herself had a vivid bruise on her forehead and scrapes down both legs, barely visible beneath her stockings.

"Thank you Baker, how are you?" he asked her softly, knowing that she was one of her most loyal employees.

"I am fine thank you sir. Only a mild concussion, no issues" she told him briskly. "How is detective Reagan?" she asked concerned.

"He is stable, it is just a case of waiting for now. I'll be returning to the hospital later this evening" he told her, swallowing passed the ever present worry he felt for his eldest son. "Any word on Lopez?" he asked trying not to spit the word out.

"Still in a coma sir. One of the round went straight through, one was lodged in his spine and they won't know the full extent of the damage until if and when he wakes up" she told him. "Either way, he won't be able to cause any more harm" she continued, hoping to reassure the commissioner with her words.

"And he has plenty of guards?" he questioned, not doubting his officers, but also not willing to risk anything when it was the safety of his family at stake.

"Yes sir, around the clock" she replied with a nod.

"Thank you Baker" he dismissed her, and turned his head to completing everything that littered his desk so that he would be free to go and be with his family as soon as possible.

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Jackie Curatola was bored, there was no other word for it and no way around it- desk duties sucked. Her arm was encased in a cumbersome plaster cast that was to remain on for at least another four weeks and she was fed up of it already. At least if her partner was here she would have someone to bitch and moan at, and he would shrug it off good naturedly as he always did. But no Danny was fighting his own battle back to health, a battle that now no one could help him with except himself. She sighed as she moved more paper around on her desk listlessly. Eventually she gave up, there was no point, she couldn't concentrate. She grabbed her back and headed out, she may as well kill the time by watching her partner sleep.

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It was 7pm before Frank made it to his son's bedside. Linda was sound asleep on the sofa and Erin and Jackie were softly chatting beside his bed, Frank moved straight over to the bed, and took his son's hand in his.

"Hey Dad" Erin greeted softly.

"Hi, how's the arm?" he asked Jackie quietly.

"Annoying me already" she replied with a smile.

"Good, you'll be back in no time" he told her, grateful for such a strong and loyal partner for his son. Before he could say another word his attention was drawn to his hand- or more to the point a slight twitchy against it. His son was waking up.

"That's it Danny, come on son" Frank soothed his son that was evidently struggling to wake up, all of a sudden confused brown eyes were staring back at him, before darting all over the room. "Hey Danny, it's okay you're safe" he told him lightly. Finally those soulful eyes locked onto Frank's face, and his lips began to part. "No Danny don't try and talk, just relax" he told him, and Erin slipped out of the room to collect the doctor. "Danny there was some damage to your throat so they had to put a tube into your neck so that you could breathe, so please son don't try to talk" he told his son gently, and being one for automatically following orders Danny nodded, and did as he was told.

End Chapter Fifteen


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Allison- hope that this update speed meets with expectation heh! Thank you for reviewing!

Montez- glad you liked it- having read your H50 story to date, you should write some Blue Bloods fic yourself, we could do with more to read in this fandom! Thank you for reviewing!

Accounting Professional- Really glad that you are still enjoying it!

Nyiestra- he certainly is, and hopefully on the mend!

Ryan's Daughter- thank you!

Thank you to you all again, you guys are the best!

Chapter Sixteen

The days passed in a blue for Danny Reagan, he would sleep and then wake up to poking and prodding, and then sleep some more. A full week went by in such a way, he was still on the respirator and still unable to talk, which as he grew in strength was more and more frustrating for the detective. Linda had been by his side almost constantly, until he had insisted as much as he could in his current position, that she go home. She had reluctantly agreed and now he was by himself, staring up at the ceiling, a tube in his neck pushing air into his lungs. It felt surreal to him, he couldn't believe that a simple car accident had led to this. Lopez had taken him because he blamed him for his brother's death, a death that he could honestly say that it had in no way been his fault, not that he hadn't felt his share of guilt over it. Hell he felt guilt over a lot of things that had happened in Iraq. He closed his eyes against the memories, hating his momentary weakness of allowing them to even enter his mind. He was sure that recent events would merely be more material to taunt him in his nightmares when he was allowed drug free sleep. He felt numb, and wished that his mind could be numbed as easily as his body.

"Hello Danny" the doctor greeted his patient, Danny opened his eyes and slowly raised his hand in greeting. "I have looked at your scans and x-rays from this morning, and things seem to be healing nicely, how about we get that tube out?" he asked kindly, Danny nodded as best as he could, "okay it will feel uncomfortable as I remove this from your throat" he informed him softly, within a few minutes the tube was out, and Danny felt like every breath was being dragged in through water. "Easy Danny, it will take a few moments" the doctor told him softly as the nurse carefully placed an oxygen mask over his face whilst the doctor turned his attention to the tracheotomy incision. He then set about in dressing it. "The wound will be in place for the next few days, just for safety. Now no talking Danny, you can whisper but nothing beyond that" he told the patient forcefully. Danny nodded in agreement.

"Thanks doc" he whispered, his voice barely audible, due to the damage and the lack of use.

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Jackie whistled as she walked into the hospital, her partner was on the mend, the evil man that had caused him so much suffering was under armed guard and everything was beginning to return to normal. Linda had text her that afternoon and told her that she was spending some time with the boys, and since she was at a loose end herself Jackie figured she may as well call in on her partner. As she walked into the room she was pleasantly surprised to see that the tube and respirator had been removed and he now had only a nasal cannula to assist with his oxygen levels.

"Hey Danny" she greeted with a smile, and he carefully turned his head towards her, shocking her with the depth of emotions that momentarily flashed in his eyes.

"Hey" he whispered softly with a small smile.

"You ok partner?" she asked him in concern, she hadn't liked the look in his eye just now, and in his current state he needed to stay as positive as possible.

"Lopez?" he asked softly, his voice barely audible, but the one word carrying the weight of the question that he was asking.

"Alive, but only just" she replied, squeezing his hand to convey as much support for him as she possibly could. "He will never be able to hurt you, or your family ever again Danny" she told him quietly. He closed his eyes against her words, his mind a whirl images of Iraq- the explosions and the gun fire that had injured Lopez, the patrol that he had missed- the feelings that someone else had died in his place. Maybe Lopez did have a point? Was there anything he could have done to prevent his brother's death? Maybe he should have spoken to him at the time. Danny was never one for reviewing his own actions in life, he never really believed in looking back in hindsight- it was a dangerous game and ifs, buts and maybes never helped anybody- but he had too much time to think at the moment and he couldn't help his train of thought. "Hey none of this is your fault you know" Jackie told him softly, as if reading his mind. He smiled lightly, he loved his partner- she was like a sister to him. A very intelligent, very capable sister, but a sister none the less.

"Your arm?" he whispered, noticing the plaster cast for the first time.

"Ah I kinda got blown up" she told him, deliberately making light of the incident. Danny didn't laugh.

"The explosion at warehouse?" he asked wincing as his damaged throat protested at the use.

"Hey easy, don't overdo it" she warned him, meaning it- knowing that Danny would push every element of his recovery. "Yeah the explosion at the warehouse, we were lucky that we had already finished the search so most of us were clear" she told him.

"Sorry" he commented, his eyes carrying a depth of sorrow.

"Hey what are you saying sorry for? You didn't set the bomb, or set it off" she told him softly, unfamiliar with this version of Danny Reagan.

"I pushed him so couldn't shoot Jamie- that's why he blew up" Danny told her, before his head fell back against the pillows at exertion, he closed his eyes tightly against the agony in his throat and struggled to draw a breath.

"Hey calm down Reagan!" she told him urgently, seeing the pain that he was in- she reached for the nurses cord and pulled it- hoping that some relief would help her partner. "Danny I don't know what happened in that building, and today ain't the day for you to tell me. Whatever happened was not your fault- whatever Lopez did he was going to do no matter what Danny. Whatever you did you did to survive or to stop harm coming to your family" she told him, putting the pieces together with the words he had uttered. "Now you need to calm down, and let yourself heal" she finished. Danny took one last breath to test his pain threshold before replying.

"Nag" he whispered softly, his smile telling her that she had got through to him even if just a little bit.

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"The case is water tight" Erin told her father confidently. "Evidentially there are statements from seven police officers- without Danny's account, all ID'ing Lopez" she continued. "There is CCTV from the boat yard that shows Lopez. There is enough for a safe conviction" she concluded.

"Good, nothing goes wrong Erin" Frank told her softly, and she nodded in agreement- she wouldn't let anything compromise the conviction of the man that had caused her brother so much pain- pain that he was still combating. "Thanks Erin" he told her finally, knowing that he could rely on his daughter to oversee a thorough prosecution against the mad man that had hurt their family.

"Fancy some dinner?" she offered with a smile, and after only a moment's hesitation he grabbed his coat and followed her to the door.

"Your treat?" he questioned with a smile. She rolled her eyes good naturedly before nodding.

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"No boys, your father won't be home tomorrow" Linda told the boys softly, wishing that Danny was home with them, and not in intensive care in hospital for the second time in two weeks.

"Can we go and see him then Mom?" Sean asked quietly, he missed his Dad- he had only seen him once in the last two weeks, and he couldn't help but think that there was something that his Mom was hiding from them.

"Not tonight sweetheart, you stay here with Nicky and I'll see how your Dad is feeling tomorrow" she told them, praying that they would accept her words and not argue any more.

"Ok" he replied, and Linda breathed a sigh of relief- with one final wave to her niece she followed Henry out to the car.

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Linda was thrilled to see Danny when she arrived at the hospital, he was sat up and without the tube breathing for him- looked far more like her Danny.

"Hi babe" she greeted softly.

"Hi" he replied, his voice a mere whisper but the greatest sound that she had ever heard.

"You're looking better" she told him quietly.

"And you look great" he whispered with a wiggle of his eyebrows. She chuckled in response, glad that her Danny was fighting his way back to her.

End Chapter Sixteen

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	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Thank you again for your continued reviews! Please keep reading, and leaving me your reviews!

Chapter Seventeen

Danny tapped his fingers repeatedly against the mattress, he was bored and he hated waiting. The tube had been out for a whole week, and the wound on his neck had been sutured and redressed. Today was the day that he was allowed to go for a walk, and he was not waiting patiently.

"Danny, eat your breakfast" Frank told his son with a smile, the younger man was currently behaving like a child waiting for Christmas.

"I'm not hungry" Danny replied softly, just wanting to get started. The quicker he could walk the length of the hall, go to the bathroom by himself and manage to get dressed without help then the sooner he could go home.

"Son, you should eat. You need to put some weight back on" Frank urged his son, as gently as he could. Danny sighed dramatically before picking up the slice of toast and taking a small bite, and chewing for a moment before swallowing. Even that small amount still hurt his healing throat, he had only been eating small meals for the last two days and he had no appetite whatsoever. He forced another two bites down before reaching for his orange juice.

"Happy?" he asked his father sarcastically. Frank raised an eyebrow at his son's tone, but didn't rise to the bait. He knew that the younger man was frustrated at his constant weakness and still being in hospital- he was desperate to go home and start a return to normal, but Frank had to make sure that his son didn't push himself too far.

"Ecstatic" Frank replied, just as the physio walked into the room.

"Hi Danny, ready to get this show on the road?" he asked the detective with a grin.

"You betcha" he replied, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed in anticipation, and making a concerted effort to ignore the dizziness that the move brought.

"Woah there, slow it down" the physio retorted, his hand raised out to steady his patient. "We need to take it steady, one step at a time" he continued. Danny sighed, before reluctantly nodding in agreement, grateful at least that his hospital gown had been replaced with a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.

"I'll come back in an hour" Frank told them, stepping out of the room- unwilling to increase his son's discomfort.

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"Sir, I just heard from the guards at the hospital and Lopez has come out of the coma" Baker told the commissioner as soon as he answered his blackberry.

"Has he said anything yet?" he asked in concern.

"No sir, a team are on the way to the hospital. The doctor was still assessing him" she replied, her tone as clipped and professional as ever.

"Okay Melissa, update me as soon as you get any more news" he requested softly.

"Yes sir" Frank disconnected the call and rubbed his hand over his face- he cursed Lopez yet again for everything that he had done. There was no way he could tell Danny this latest news; he wouldn't risk upsetting his son just as he was finally on the road to recovery. He just hoped that the prosecution case against Lopez was as strong as Erin had assured him.

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By the time the session was over with Danny was beyond exhausted, but he was pleased at the progress that he had made. It was good to be on his feet, even if it was a slow, painful version of being on his feet. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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Erin read through the file one last time before handing it back to her colleague, she was satisfied that it covered as much as possible so far. Just as she let it from her grasp her cell rang.

"Reagan" she answered crisply.

"Hi Erin, can you talk?" her father asked quietly.

"Hi Dad, is everything ok?" she questioned softly, worried that something had happened to her brother.

"Everything is fine. How is the case going?" he asked softly.

"I have just reviewed. Covers everything possible at this moment in time" she replied.

"Lopez just woke up" Frank told her, knocking her completely off kilter with those four words.

"Does Danny know?" she asked, assessing how her brother might react.

"No, and I don't plan on it either" Frank replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Dad?" Erin questioned, her brow furrowing.

"I think it's the only idea, I'll tell him when there is more to tell" he replied. "I need your support on this one Erin" he continued.

"Fine" she responded, not fully in agreement, but willing to trust her father's judgement. "Let me know if there is any update?" she asked finally.

"Of course" he responded not missing the concerned tone of his daughter's voice, but knowing that she would do as he asked. Finally they both ended the call, with plans to see each other at the hospital later, after a moment's thought Erin went back to her work.

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"Do you feel up to giving your statement Detective?" Danny's colleague asked him softly, ready to secure further evidence against the man that the entire police department despised for hurting their own.

"As I will ever be" Danny replied, pulling himself upright in the bed and preparing to share the story of his ordeal. He took a deep breath and in a calm monotonous voice began to provide his account.

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Jamie whistled as he made his way to his locker, he had finished for the day and he had a date with a pizza and a game – a bit of relaxation after the month that they had endured. He hung up his cap and jacket, grabbed his car keys and headed out of the door with a smile on his face. It had taken months to get his beloved car back to standard after the incident where he had 'kissed' a wall, and it was a pleasure to drive even if it was back to his lonely apartment. Even the city traffic couldn't get him down tonight. His brother was on the mend, his sister was ensuring that the prosecution case was water tight, and Lopez was in hospital under armed guard- things were looking up. Eventually he parked up near his apartment and headed in, putting his key in the lock- he was just about to open it when a voice behind him distracted him.

"Hello baby Reagan" said a voice, and the tone sent chills through him.

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It had taken Danny nearly two hours to give his statement to the other detective, his voice weak and hoarse by the conclusion. He was spent , he hadn't realised how much talking about the ordeal would affect him- but he found himself shaken at having to relive it. He was at least relieved that none of the family had been with him at the time. He had just been given his dinner, and had managed to force down a couple of forkfuls of mashed potato and chicken, before he completely lost interest. He had better things to think about for tonight Linda was finally bringing the boys to see him, and she should be there at any moment.

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Linda rushed against the traffic, she had been half an hour late setting off trying to get the boys ready and in the car, they were finally on their way when the journey was interrupted by her cell phone ringing.

"Hello" she answered, slightly frustrated.

"Linda, it's Jamie I need you to come to my apartment, it's urgent" he told her and his tone expressed the urgency more than his words.

"Jamie, I'm on my way to see Danny and I have got the boys, can it wait?" she replied, sensing that she already knew the answer.

"No Linda, I need you to come now" he replied before disconnecting the call- leaving no room for argument.

End Chapter Seventeen

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	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Big thank you to everyone that read and reviewed the last chapter and for everyone that has added it to favourites/alerts- it means a lot that you are enjoying it! Believe it or not, but only a few more chapter until this will end….

Chapter Eighteen

"Have you spoken to Linda?" Frank asked his son over the phone as he walked to the car at a brisk pace.

"Yeah Dad, she is on her way over here now" Jamie replied.

"Good, I'll be there as soon as I can. How sure was he?" Frank asked softly, hating his family having further trauma.

"He was fairly certain Dad, did you ask Danny about him?" Jamie asked softly.

"No, I want to get our facts together before he is caused any more worry" Frank replied, hating keeping things from his son, but feeling it was necessary in the circumstances. "I'll see you in five" he concluded before ending the call and heading to his son's apartment.

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"This had better be good Jamie" Linda warned as she stepped through the door of his apartment, the two boys following closely behind.

"Hey boys! I have got the x-box set up in the other room why don't you go and start a game?" Jamie suggested to the boys with a grin.

"Yeah thanks Uncle Jamie" Sean replied, before the boys trooped obediently through to the other room.

"What's this about Jamie?" Linda asked as soon as her sons were out of earshot.

"Just wait five minutes for Dad to get here Linda" he replied, she sighed deeply- confused as to what was going on, but willing to give her brother in law the benefit of the doubt and do as he asked. Less than two minutes later Frank arrived and joined the two waiting nervously.

"Hi Linda" he greeted quietly, and nodded at his son.

"What is this all about?" Linda asked, her patience running thin.

"I had a visit earlier from one of Danny's grasses" Jamie told her softly. She looked at him questioningly, not really sure how this involved her. "He gave me some information, it was information about a plan to snatch you to get back at Danny. It was arranged by Lopez" Jamie told her gently.

"To snatch me?" she asked, suddenly feeling very tired.

"The plan was to grab you as you walked into the hospital" Jamie told her.

"But why? Lopez is in hospital in a coma- how could he even arranged this?" she asked.

"Linda, Lopez came round a short time ago" Frank told her, almost hesitantly.

"He's awake? Does Danny know?" she asked concerned for how her husband would be taking this latest update.

"Danny doesn't know" Frank told her softly, not sure if she would be angry at him over the development. Linda nodded in acknowledgement.

"So what do we do now?" she asked quietly.

"We don't know who is working for Lopez, Jackie is making enquiries trying to trace visitors and phone calls" Frank told her.

"Phone calls? He's been allowed to make a call?" she asked incredulously.

"It would appear so- according to the file it was to his lawyer, but his lawyer swears that he has had no contact" Frank told her, he was frustrated himself that the man had been allowed to make a call, he would have authorised for that right to be delayed if he had been made aware first.

"Surely the best way of finding out who is working with him would be to catch him in the act?" Linda commented quietly.

"What are you suggesting?" Frank asked quietly.

"Well I need to go to the hospital to visit Danny, I don't want him worrying when I don't turn up. Why not see what happens?" she suggested, hardly able to believe what she was saying herself- but willing to do anything to ensure the continued safety of her family.

"Linda, that could be very dangerous" Jamie interjected.

"I know that, but I don't see any other way of ending this thing. If there were cops placed around the hospital then they could protect me and pick him up" she reasoned, Frank started to shake his head to refuse her. "There is no other way, I know that your guys would look after me and I trust you to make sure of it" she told her father in law. Frank sighed, struggling to argue with her logic, but also not wanting to place her in harm's way.

"Let me see what I can arrange" he told her eventually, before taking out his blackberry and making a couple of calls.

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"Okay I have got four teams on standby at the hospital, are you sure that you want to do this?" Frank asked his daughter in law, his tone serious.

"Of course" she replied, her tone firm and certain. "Someone needs to tell Danny though, he is expecting me and the boys and he'll worry if we just don't turn up" she stated. Frank sighed, he had thought of that.

"I have asked Jackie to pop up to see him and tell him that you will be delayed" he told her.

"You mean you're going to lie to him?" she asked incredulous.

"He will never rest knowing what you are going to do" he stated, and although she couldn't argue with him, she wasn't happy.

"He won't be happy when he finds out about all of this" she told him quietly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there" Frank replied, knowing the truth of her statement. Jackie had not been happy at all at being asked to lie to her partner, and roles reversed Frank couldn't really blame her.

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Danny looked at the clock for the hundredth time, he was starting to get more than slightly concerned by his wife's absence, just as he was about to get up himself and go and hunt for a phone his partner came rushing into the room.

"Jackie, what's happened? Where's Linda?" Danny asked her in a rush.

"Hey calm down partner, she's fine. She got tied up and she's with your dad" she replied, keeping the story as vague as possible to avoid any direct lies to her friend.

"god, I thought something had happened" he replied, breathing a huge sigh of relief and relaxing back against the bed.

"Sorry Reagan, I got here as soon as I could to let you know" Jackie replied, meaning the apology.

"What's she doing with Dad?" he asked, confused as to what was going on.

"I don't know Danny, and I didn't ask" she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"She is definitely okay though, isn't she? And the boys?" he continued.

"Yes, they are all definitely 100% ok" she replied, praying that they would remain that way.

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Linda took a deep breath as she pulled her coat on over the ballistic vest she had just been fitted with.

"Okay, so there is a team just inside the main entrance and at least one officer in close proximity to every doorway that you have to pass through between going into the hospital and Danny's room" Frank told her quietly. "There is still time to change your mind if you want to" he told her kindly.

"Let's go" she said before walking out of the apartment and down to the awaiting car. Jamie exchanged a glance with his father before going to join his nephews for a clash on the Kinect.

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Jackie stayed with her partner for a half hour, before she was heading back to the precinct to finalise a couple of cases.

"Linda should be here soon" she told him, and she prayed that she was telling him the truth. She ruffled his hair playfully before turning to leave.

"Jack?" his voice caused her to turn around "you're sure that there is nothing that you're not telling me?" he asked her, his voice uncertain. She nearly broke, just from seeing the look on his face.

"Yeah Reagan, just relax, everything is fine" she replied, hating herself at that moment.

"Thanks" he replied with a smile, she turned back around and continued on her way out, praying that her partner would forgive her.

End Chapter Eighteen


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Nyiestra- he certainly won't be happy!

Montez- as is I would hurt Linda….. ;-)

Allison- have a fab holiday, and hope you enjoy your catch up when you get back!

Cfhonan- Thank you for your review! I think Linda would volunteer to do anything she could to help!

Ryans daughter- We'll soon see how Danny reacts!

Accounting professional- Is this a quick enough update?

Thank you to everybody for your loyal reviews! There will be no update tomorrow, and probably not Saturday, I will try and post on Friday- but no guarantees!

Chapter Nineteen

Danny sighed to himself, he was healed enough that he was now getting bored of just lying in bed all the time, but still weakened by his injuries that there wasn't much he could do- and it was starting to drive him crazy. He had never been one to just sit around, he was much more of an action person, that was probably why he had joined the military and then the police force, He didn't know how much more of this he was going to be able to bear before he just walked out AMA, and then faced the wrath of his father and his wife. He chuckled at the thought, he didn't know which one of them would berate him more.

"Hello detective, how are you this evening?" a cheery nurse asked as she came into the room.

"Ready to go home" he replied honestly. She chuckled at his response.

"I don't think you are as ready as you may think" she replied bobbing a thermometer into his mouth to mute his reply. "You need to give your self time detective" she continued, noting down his temperature. "Your temperature is still slightly elevated" she told him, "Hopefully the anti-biotic will nip any infections in the bud before they take hold" she continued. "How's the pain?"

"Fine" he replied, she turned to him with a raised eyebrow not believing for a second. "Okay, maybe not fine, but better" he replied more honestly. She chuckled again at him, pleased that he was being more honest. She handed him a plastic tub with three small pills in and a cup of juice, he rolled his eyes at her. "I want to stay awake" he told her quietly.

"None of these will make you drowsy" she replied softly.

"You promise?" he asked.

"I promise" she replied, and with a dramatic sigh he took them, drinking from the juice to wash them down.

"When will I be able to get out of here?" he asked her finally.

"That will be up to the doctor, educated guess probably another week" she told him. He groaned at the news, even more desperate to go home.

"Can I at least have a little wander around the halls?" he asked her.

"You can have a little wander, as long as that is all it is. And you take the frame with you" she told him, her tone enforcing the seriousness of her tone. He turned his nose up at the idea, but decided against arguing. With one last chuckle at having won the battle the nurse left her patient to it.

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Linda took a deep breath as she prepared to walk through the doors of the hospital, she had no idea which officers would be scattered throughout the hospital, and she recognised that it was probably for the best as she didn't want to ruin the plan by reacting to someone. She took her regular route through the main doors and into the elevator, so far so good. She only had a short walk from the elevator to Danny's room, and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to if nothing happened. If she went into her husband's room surely she would be putting him at risk, and there was no way she was willing to do that.

"Just keep going Linda, you're doing good" Frank's voice spoke in her ear, through the tiny ear piece that she had been fitted with. She drew strength from the calming voice of her father in law and continued on her journey.

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Danny swung his legs over the edge of his bed, he was desperate to do something- anything to kill some time. He struggled to his feet and reached for the walking frame that was a few feet away from him. He winced as his damaged shoulder protested the movement and his chest pulled, but he wasn't going to give up, slowly he made his way into the bathroom attached to his room, and relieved himself. He washed his face and brushed his teeth- anything to feel more human than the hospital generally allowed him to. With a concerted effort he pushed himself to place one foot in front of the other and made his way out of his room and into the hall. He nodded to the solitary guard that was stood on the doorway, who nodded back. Danny half rolled his eyes as he slowly made his way down the hall, he thought it was rather unnecessary now, since Lopez was unconscious and under armed guard- but he knew that his father was cautious where his family were concerned. Danny could feel the sweat forming on his brow, but he was determined to make it the whole way down the hall. He shuffled along at a snail's pace, but it was still progress for him and he was pleased that he was at least moving- slow as it may be. He smiled to himself as he finally made it the entire length of the hall right out to the elevators. His smile increased as the doors opened and he found his wife looking back at him.

"Hey Linda" he greeted with a smile that lit up his face and reached his eyes for the first time since this ordeal had started. Linda momentarily saw his husband, looking so happy with himself, and on his own two feet and the overwhelming feeling of love for him took her breath away. Then she shook herself and remembered what was currently occurring- her husband shouldn't be here, she couldn't have him at more risk.

"My god Danny" she whispered, her tone full of horror at his presence. Her reaction stung and confused him, and his face flashed momentarily with hurt at her strange reaction.

"Linda? What's wrong?" he asked in shock, his face full of concern for what was going on that he clearly didn't know about. She had no chance to answer as two men clad fully in black emerged behind Danny, and then all hell broke loose.

End Chapter Nineteen

Please review!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Cfhonan- I promise that is the last twist (maybe…)

Montez- sorry I only hurt Danny so he can then be comforted ;-)

Ryans Daughter- Danny won't like anyone threatening his family, I only hope he is strong enough to deal with it…

Nyiestra- Can you ever hurt him enough?...

Accounting Professional- Glad you enjoyed it and sorry you have had to wait!

Well not much more of this story to go now… Things will start wrapping up in the next couple of chapter, please stick with it until the end and keep reviewing!

Chapter Twenty

"Shit" Frank cursed as he heard his son's voice over the radio, he hadn't counted on Danny literally walking in on the situation. He didn't know why he was so surprised that his son would have pushed himself further than expected for his level of recovery. He was fuming with himself that he had misjudged things, maybe he should have brought Danny up to speed after all, his son was going to kill him for this one. "Melissa, get SWAT arranged" he instructed via the radio link, rubbing his eyes tiredly at how the situation had just escalated. Jamie stepped forward and squeezed his father's shoulder, concerned himself for the development in the situation- but trying not to show it for the sake of his nephews.

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Danny's drug fuddled mind, struggled to keep up with what was going on around him. One moment he was looking at his beloved wife, who as far as he was aware was merely at the hospital to visit with him. The next thing she looked devastated to see him, he had felt a rush of people moving behind him, then there had been shouting- but his cloudy brain could not separate the words to find meaning, and then he had found himself being propelled forward, with no idea how or why.

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Linda saw her husband falter as he registered the look on her face, his tone and face were questioning as he asked her what was wrong. Before she could answer the love of her life, two men emerged behind him and all she could do was gasp- not even a full warning would leave her lips. She registered people stepping out of doorways clutching guns, and assumed that they were the teams of officers that Frank had put in place, but her focus remained on her husband- who had been grabbed by his already damaged arm and had a gun held to his head, before she knew it he was being dragged along the hall.

"Danny" she gasped, seeing the confusion on his bruised face.

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"Any update?" Jackie asked the commissioner as she made her way to Jamie's apartment.

"It's all gone to hell" Frank told her, blaming himself for the danger his son and daughter in law were now in. "The latest is that Danny has been dragged into the elevator, him and Linda are both there along with two armed men. They have made no demands, and there has been no contact with them at all" Frank told her with a sigh. "There is a SWAT team on each floor, and there is nowhere that they can go, negotiators are on scene, but until there is some contact there isn't much that we can really do" he concluded, his frustration clear in his voice, and his tone.

"Sir, we have got Danny through so far, we'll get him out of this" Jackie assured her boss softly, her tone carrying more confidence than she felt at that moment.

"I should have listened to you Jackie, I should have let you tell him" Frank replied, he rarely felt that he had made such a grievous error- but he guessed that such an error involving a member of his family was bound to be felt keener.

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"What the hell is going on?" Danny whispered to his wife, when he had gathered enough to wits to gather that she had some prior knowledge of their current predicament. She closed her eyes, unsure where to start- before the decision was taken out of her hands as one of their captors stepped forward and grabbed her roughly by the hair before dragging her into the corner of the elevator compartment.

"Enough talking" he hissed, and Linda winced at the pain the movement caught. Danny straightened up as much as his injuries would allow- before surging towards the man, not willing to have anyone hurt his wife. His injury induced weakness letting him down as the man merely pushed him to one side, causing him to rebound off the wooden panelling and the wind was knocked out of him, the pain in his ribs increasing tenfold.

"Danny" Linda screamed, unable to bear seeing his husband manhandled in such a way. Her scream did not go unpunished as the man holding her bounced her head roughly against the wall, hard enough that she slumped to the floor, unconscious before she even landed in a heap. Danny bit back on a sob at the treatment of his wife. Gathering his breath, and with new steel in his eyes frantically thought of how to get them out of this situation.

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"Sir I have managed to get a link to the hospital's CCTV system" Baker told her boss, her tone crisp and professional. "I have secured the elevator footage and am monitoring it now" she continued.

"Good work Baker, what have we got?" he asked quietly, his face a picture of guilt and fear.

"Standard elevator sir, not enough room to send anyone in without putting both detective Reagan and his wife at risk" she told him quietly. "It looks as though Linda has knocked unconscious sir" she told him, knowing that it would only add to the weight of the situation, but unwilling to withhold any information from her boss. Frank cursed, and rested his head against the wall in front of him, this day was getting worse and worse by the second. "It looks as though Danny is trying to talk to them" she told him quietly. Frank nodded.

"I guess we'll have to trust Danny to handle things" Frank whispered, thinking inside that he should have done that to start with.

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"Why are you doing this?" Danny asked the young man in front of him, his barked laughter was the only initial reply.

"Why do you think?" he finally verbalised.

"I know it's not money- Lopez doesn't have any" Danny responded, his gaze fixed on the two men in front of him, despite his mind whirling all over the place thinking of way to get out of his situation. "Look we're in an elevator- there is nowhere for you to go. You will never make it out of here, is Lopez really worth dying over?" he tried to reason, having no idea if he was even on the right track. His body was beginning to turn into a mass of pain, as his medication was beginning to wear off, he was fighting exhaustion as this was the longest he had been standing for weeks, and his vision was swimming more and more with each passing moment- if he was going to do anything it had to be soon.

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"Any ID on the two perps?" Jackie asked Baker as she checked in over her cell.

"Nothing, I have just sent them off to my military contact to see if that's the link" she continued, hoping that they would get at least some information as to what they were facing.

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"It's not about money" the man finally replied, his voice carrying a tone of something that he recognised. "It's about loyalty" the other man continued.

"Loyalty? To Lopez?" Danny replied, surprised.

"Why so surprised?" the first man asked, his tone challenging. "Marines stick together" he continued. Danny looked up in shock, before laughing lightly to himself. He stopped laughing when he heard the click of the safety being removed from the hand gun and placed once more in his face.

"Once a marine always a marine huh?" Danny commented, his tone level and serious, raising his hands with his palms open he carefully opened his shirt to display that the tattoo that adorned his skin. "Semper Fidelis" he whispered lightly and got two shocked faces for his trouble.

"Always faithful" they translated the USMC motto in unison. Danny smiled lightly, correctly guessing that neither of the men in front of him had been told the full circumstances about their current task.

"Why did Lopez say he wanted you to kill my wife?" he asked them softly, his tone cracking on the question, but not missing that both guns had been lowered.

"He said that you killed his kid brother" the younger of the two men replied, his voice portraying the doubt that he now felt around that statement. Danny gasped, surprised that the marines in front of him, would even stoop to this.

"I suppose he didn't mention that whilst I was in the gulf of active service I had to miss a patrol due to injury and illness, Lopez's brother went on the patrol in my place and didn't make it back" Danny told them, the choking of his voice showing the men that he still carried the weight of responsibility for the incident.

"Ah man" the older man gasped, leaning back against the side of the lift, shocked that they had been played so thoroughly. "That is not your fault" he commented lightly, seeing the moisture in his captive's eyes. This was so not going as planned, they had been lied to and completely deceived by Lopez.

"There is no honour in what he has done here" the first man told the other softly, referring to the values of the Marine Corps that all three of them lived by. "There's no honour in any of this" he sighed. "What do we do?" they asked the detective in front of them. The detective that looked as though he was about to drop. Danny hesitated.

"You need to end this, give yourselves up- it's the only thing you can do" Danny replied softly, his anger at Lopez growing with every despicable act the former marine carried out. No marine was ever referred to as 'former' they were also active, reserve, retired or veterans- but Lopez didn't deserve the title of any of those- he didn't deserve to have ever been a marine. He had no honour and no commitment to the Corps and he was proving that over and over again.

"Did Lopez do that to you?" one of the men asked the pale detective softly, gesturing at the obvious injuries he had suffered. Danny nodded lightly. "What a bastard" the man replied, reapplying the safety catch and handing his weapon to the man in front of him. "I'm sorry" he commented, his face proving the truth to his words. "I thought you had betrayed family" he continued, watching as the second man also handed over his weapon. Danny nodded.

"I would never betray a fellow marine" Danny replied emphatically, before he leant against the wall and slid down it, the adrenaline that had kept him upright until then finally running out- both of his captors stepped forward to support the man that they had been hired to hurt so badly.

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Frank breathed a huge sigh of relief upon listening to the radio feed from Linda's bag, he was so proud of his son, hell he was always proud of him, but having just witnessed his son's actions he felt his heart surge with love and pride for the younger man.

"Jamie, I am going to the hospital" he told his youngest softly, and headed straight out of the door- knowing that he would not forget this day for the rest of his life.

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Linda moved unsteadily forward, she had come round some time earlier, but dare not move for fear of ruining whatever her husband had planned. As she listened to him speak, she was overwhelmed by how brave and courageous he was even in his current state. He spoke passionately and truthfully, she loved him so much and yet he still never failed to amaze her. She breathed a sigh of relief when the captors handed their weapons over to Danny. When she saw them move forward to aid him, she got to her feet, blinked through the dizziness and went to his side.

"You ok babe?" he asked her, his concern for his wife overshadowing anything else.

"I'm fine" she told him. "I love you Danny" she whispered as she pulled him close. The two men that had previously been there to hurt them both edged away, ashamed of what they had done to a good man and his family.

"What do we do now?" the younger man asked the detective softly.

"We need to get out of this lift" he replied. "Then take it from there" he continued. They nodded, looking at their boots before helping the Reagans carefully to their feet.

"I am really sorry, I can never apologise enough" the older man said to the two, the other one nodding in agreement.

"You did what you thought was right. I won't forgive you for hurting my wife, that is not becoming of a marine" Danny replied, and neither one of the them could argue. "You better put your hands up and look unthreatening" he told them, and when they complied he pressed the button to open the lift door and for once welcomed the assistance that was forthcoming.

End Chapter Twenty

Please review!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

Nyiestra- I completely agree ;-)

Liam- Frank is very cross with me actually for constantly hurting his son!

Montez- I think it was lucky for them that Danny was already injured, else they might not be breathing after doing that to Linda!

Accounting professional- yeah it is wrapping up now! I wanted to do something a bit different thus his captors being fellow marines!

As said this story is now coming to a close, I hope that you will keep going with it and reviewing- and there may just be a sequel….

Chapter Twenty one

Sometime later, when both of the marines had been led away, Linda had been treated and Danny was settled back in his room he finally turned to his wife with a raised eyebrow. Linda had been married to Danny long enough to know exactly what he was getting at, but was stubborn enough to not cave so easily. When she offered no response, he sighed deeply.

"What the hell were you all playing at?" he asked, his tone not carrying the venom of his words. Linda looked away, she knew he would be seething for them keeping him completely out of the loop, she couldn't blame him for being angry.

"I'm sorry Danny" she told him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as the events of the last 24 hours caught up with her. Danny sighed and reached out his hand to his wife, brushing his thumb tenderly over her cheek- avoiding the nasty bruises that marred her fair forehead.

"How about you start from the beginning" he suggested, his voice softer as he recognised her upset. She nodded before taking a breath and informing her husband of everything that he had missed out on.

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Frank paced nervously, he desperately wanted to see his son, but for the first time in his life he was almost dreading doing so. He had let him down by not trusting him enough to handle his emotions. Except that wasn't it, Frank had trusted his son- he had only done what he had in an attempt to protect the younger man. That was all that he ever wanted to do for any of his children- keep them safe, he was just all too aware that it got harder and harder to do, especially where Danny was concerned.

"You need a ride?" Jamie asked his father, dragging him from his reverie. He was just pulling his jacket on and making sure that his nephews were all zipped up in preparation of going to the hospital to see their Dad. Frank paused for a moment before answering.

"Yes Jamie, I do" he finally replied.

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"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Danny asked, his tone tired and weary rather than angry.

"Didn't want to worry you" Linda replied softly.

"And having me grabbed by armed men and held hostage along with my wife didn't worry me?" he replied rhetorically. "So Lopez is still alive and in this hospital?" he asked finally. She nodded carefully worried already about where this was heading. "I want to see him" Danny told her.

"Danny I don't think that's a good idea babe" she replied, rubbing his arm gently- just feeling the need to touch him.

"Linda I need to see him" Danny replied, his brown orbs locked directly on her face, and his tone serious. She knew there would be no arguing with him, she simply nodded in reluctant agreement.

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"No way" Frank responded without hesitation.

"Frank I think he needs to do this" Linda reasoned, willing to support her husband in whatever he needed to move on from this horrendous experience.

"Linda think of what you are asking, think of the stress it will put on Danny" Frank replied as a father, and not as the commissioner.

"And think of the stress it will put on him if he does it anyway without us for support" Linda replied, unwilling to back down on this. Frank sighed, he couldn't argue the logic, and if he was honest Danny had been right about most things during the last week.

"I'll see what we can arrange" he finally conceded. She smiled at him, glad that he was willing to help, before heading back to rescue her still recovering husband from two very active and excited young boys.

"Come on boys, time to go home" she told them in her strictest voice. Her answer was two groans from her sons, who very much wanted to stay with their father. "Come on, you can come back in the morning" she promised, and she meant it- they made her husband brighten immeasurably. They both reached up and hugged their father good night, before Linda walked over and gave him a tender kiss- pleased that this nightmare finally appeared to be over.

"Good night" she gestured quietly, almost reluctant to leave him.

"Night babe, I love you" he replied caressing her hair lovingly. She smiled, before turning to leave, she knew that if she didn't do it then, she probably would never leave. Just as she left Danny turned his attention to his father, his eyes blazing in a ferociousness that Frank hadn't seen for a long time.

"How could you let her put herself at risk like that?" he asked, his tone deathly. Frank sighed, he had known that this was coming.

"I'm sorry son, she was adamant that she wanted to do it. It was a good plan on paper" Frank replied, hating himself for inadvertently causing his son more pain.

"Why didn't you tell me that Lopez was awake?" Danny asked, catching his father off guard with the change of topic.

"I didn't think that you needed to" Frank replied. "I didn't want to set your recovery back and I thought if you knew about Lopez you might have been stressed out or upset by it" he continued.

"You had my partner lie to me Dad" Danny stated, his voice conveying all of the betrayal that he felt. Frank didn't know what to say to placate his son, he couldn't find the words. "Dad I think I need to be alone" Danny commented, his eyes closed and his expression unreadable. Frank couldn't help the bolt of pain that the one comment caused to shoot through him. He nodded, unable to argue with his son.

"I love you Danny" he whispered as he left the room. Danny sighed at the words, hurt, angry and betrayed.

"I love you too Dad" Danny replied to the empty room.

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"I have not seen him that angry with me in a long time" Frank told his father over a tumbler of Brandy.

"He'll come round Francis" Henry tried to console his son. He knew that Danny could be a hot head at times, but on this particular occasion he could actually see his grandson's point on the matter.

"He wants to see Lopez as well" Frank sighed.

"I'm not surprised" Henry replied.

"Really? You think I should let him then?" Frank asked in shock.

"Who are you to stop him Francis?" Henry responded. "He's a grown man! A marine and a detective! He's a gulf war vet I think he had earned the right to make his own decision" he continued. Frank pondered on those comments for a moment before replying.

"What if he gets hurt?" he asked quietly.

"He is going to get hurt Francis, you can't protect him from that for forever. All you can do is make sure that you are there to make sure he gets picked back up and dusted off ready to fight another day" he concluded, and once he could see that he had made his point, he chuckled lightly. "Now you need to get to bed son, you have the press conference in the morning"

"Thanks for reminding me" Frank groaned before bidding his father good night and heading up the stairs to his bed.

End Chapter Twenty One

Just one more to go! Please review if you want it quickly!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

Well here we are! The final chapter! Thank you so much to everybody that has read this, reviewed it, story alerted it etc etc- I have been so pleased with the response and I am really glad that you seem to have enjoyed it. Please review just one more time for me!

Here goes…

Chapter Twenty Two

A week passed relatively peacefully for the Reagan family, although things had been tense between Danny and Frank, but they were gradually accepting each other's opinions on the matter. Finally it was the day that Danny had been looking forward to and he was being released from hospital. The nurse was currently giving him a lecture of what he was allowed to do, and what he strictly wasn't to do and he was trying to appear as though he was listening whilst Jamie and Erin stood behind the nurse pulling faces and laughing at him. He turned his attention back to the nurse when she handed him a bag of medication.

"Ok this one is OxyContin- it's a pain killer. Follow the instructions to the letter. This is your antibiotic this needs to be taken three times a day for the next week- don't miss a dose. These are sleeping tablets, take as required although don't take more than the recommended dose" she told him- her tone serious. "Your follow up appointment is scheduled for Monday at 10am, these prescriptions will last you until then" she told him, she then pointed out the contact number on the side of the bag. "This number is answered 24/7 so call if you need anything" she concluded with a smile. Danny returned the gesture.

"Thank you" he told her sincerely. She nodded before leaving the room. Danny sighed in relief that he was going home- finally. He looked down at his sock clad feet and the sneakers that sat taunting him. There was no way he was going to be able to bend down and put his shoes on and tie the laces. He sighed again, but this time in frustration. Erin noticed his discomfort and silently stepped forward, kneeling down at her brother's feet and gently pulling each shoe on in turn and tying the laces for him without saying a word. Danny could feel his face burning in embarrassment, but as she finished he managed to thank her- truly grateful that she had helped.

"You ready to go home?" she asked him softly.

"I'm ready to see Lopez" he replied, his voice serious.

"Are you really sure about this Danny?" Erin questioned. "Hasn't he hurt you enough?" she continued, unable to hide the pain that recent memories brought her. Danny offered her what he hoped to be a reassuring smile.

"I am a grown up Erin, all I wanna do is talk to him" Danny replied. She sighed- knowing that there was going to be no persuading him otherwise. She refrained from commenting any further, not willing to risk riling her brother up further. She was saved from having to by the arrival of her father and Linda brandishing a wheelchair. "Ah come on, no way" Danny retorted upon seeing their suggested method of transportation.

"Policy" Linda replied with a smile.

"Have you arranged for me to see Lopez?" Danny asked his father softly, and Frank nodded. "Thanks Dad" Danny replied, honestly grateful at the ease at which his father had accepted. Frank smiled at the gratitude in his son's voice. "Let's go then" he continued, dragging himself to his feet and sitting down in the wheelchair, he allowed his father to push him until he stopped outside a room a couple of floors up from his own.

"You sure you are ready for this?" Frank asked his son quietly.

"Yeah Dad, I'm ready" he replied his tone flat. Frank nodded and began pushing him towards the door. "No Dad" Danny halted him. "I'm walking in to see him, and I'm seeing him alone" Danny told him emphatically.

"Danny…."Frank muttered warningly.

"No Dad, my terms. I am walking in and seeing him- by myself" Danny responded, turning pleading brown eyes on his father. Frank hesitated, he understood why his son was asking this, he didn't want to appear weak in front of the man that had tortured him and his family. He still couldn't help the protective side of him coming to the forefront, and his father's words sprang back to his mind and with a sigh of worry.

"Okay, but please be careful" he eventually replied. Danny smiled, grateful for the quick agreement. He got to his feet accepting a small amount of help offered by his father. He walked the few paces to the door and took a deep steadying breath before stepping through the door and into the room.

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"Hello Emile" Danny greeted in a deliberately chirpy tone as he stepped into the room. The man that was laid on the bed looked up sharply at the tone.

"Reagan" he replied in surprise. "You're looking very pleased with yourself" he continued, confused at the turn of events. The detective was looking rather well for someone that had been nearly strangled to death and should by now be newly widowed.

"What's not to be pleased about? I have got a huge insurance pay out coming for my car that you wrecked, I am going on a long vacation with my beautiful wife and my kids- and you my friend are going to jail- so what is not to be happy about?" Danny replied, his grin remaining in place throughout. Lopez looked at the other man in shock, his wife was still alive? His hatred of the other man grew even further as he suddenly realised that all of his plans had failed.

"You son of a bitch" he yelled, as he attempted to surge towards the detective. Danny stepped back as a hand weakly swatted towards him, laughing at the man in front of him. "Don't you laugh at me, you murdering bastard" he hissed at the man in front of him, Danny stopped laughing and stepped back forward, "what you going to do now? Beat up on a cripple?" Emile taunted the man.

"I wouldn't waste the energy" Danny replied, "You're not even worth it, you are a sad, bitter, twisted man- whose pathetic attempts at revenge for a misguided wrong have left him a cripple who faces life in jail" he told him, his tone soft- but deadly. "I wonder, would your brother have still been alive if you had moved quicker and not gotten yourself hit, what do you think?" Danny asked quietly, working at keeping his temper in check. "Maybe you're the murderer Lopez, killing your own brother" he finished, the gasp that came from the other man testament that his words had hit home.

"No" Lopez uttered his eyes brimming with anger. Danny sneered at the pathetic specimen of life before him.

"Shame your kid brother, showed promise- more than you ever did. Have a nice life Lopez" he concluded heading for the door as quickly as his weakened legs would carry him, and not looking back. He stepped out of the door and leant gratefully against the wall his eyes closed as he worked on steadying his breath.

"Danny?" his father asked him softly, before finding himself practically pushed to one side as Danny moved passed him and went into the rest rooms, Frank was unsurprised to find his eldest son stooped over in a cubicle heaving as all of the emotional trauma caught up with him. Frank stepped closer to his son and tenderly rubbed his tense back, eager to offer whatever comfort he could to his suffering son. When it was clear that he had finished retching Frank stepped out and returned seconds later with a Styrofoam cup of water which Danny gratefully accepted. "You ok?" Frank asked him softly.

"I'm good" he replied, rubbing his hand over his face, before allowing his father to carefully help him to his feet. Wordlessly the older Reagan helped him out into the hall and back into his wheelchair, where his wife and siblings were lovingly waiting.

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Two weeks later and Frank was hosting a relaxed dinner party, Baker and Jackie were both there- as well as the entire Reagan Clan. Danny had not seen his partner since that day in the hospital and he could immediately see her guilt by the sheepish way that she looked at him. At the end of the meal he left the table and made his way into the kitchen. He held a glass under the faucet and tapped two pain killers out of the container into his hand, taken them with the water and leaning against the counter whilst he waited for them to take effect.

"Are you still in a lot of pain?" a woman's voice asked behind him.

"Some" he replied, not turning around to face his partner.

"Danny I'm so sorry" Jackie told him softly, she felt awful for her part in deceiving her partner, and hated the tension between them.

"Why did you lie to me Jackie?" he asked softly, his back still turned to her as he waited for the pain killers to kick in and ease the pounding in his head and the agony in his chest.

"I didn't want to" she told him. "I was told to Danny" she continued. "Just like you were told to lie to me with that undercover agent" she told him, not wanting to throw the past back at him, but desperate to get through to him. Danny sighed deeply, he hated that everybody had gone against him in some half-baked attempt to protect him, but he also understood why they had done so. "Please Danny, let's just move on from this?" she pleaded, and Danny found it impossible to stay mad at her any longer. He carefully turned round and looked at her.

"Please don't lie to me again" he asked her quietly. She nodded and smiled, pleased that they seemed to be moving on from the unfortunate mishap.

"I won't" she agreed softly. "Now you need to hurry up and get back to work, Woody is driving me nuts" she told him and he chuckled lightly.

"I don't know about that, I am kinda liking this whole house husband thing" he replied, and she rolled her eyes at his blatant lie- struggling to think of her partner as a domestic god.

"Seriously make sure you take time to heal Danny" she told him.

"Yes Mom" he replied with a grin. "Me and Linda are taking the boys away for a couple of weeks, should be perfect" he continued, leaning tiredly back against the counter.

"Sounds perfect" she agreed softly, "I'm glad you're okay" she concluded seriously.

"Me too" he replied with a smile, before he pushed himself lightly away and draping his arm around his partner he led her back into the lounge and re-joined the rest of the family.

The End

Please review! Especially if you want a sequel!


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